Happy Holiday
by vcg73
Summary: Kurt goes home to spend the holidays with his newly united family. Just a happy little Christmas fic! Contains a bit of Klaine and Finchel in the later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**"****A Very Glee Christmas", though lovely, turned out to be completely missing the Hudmel family bonding I had been hoping for, and obviously their school schedule does not match my imagined one at all, so I guess this story is a little bit AU. **The chapters alternate POV between Kurt and Finn. Kurt has the odd chapters, Finn has the even. 

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The trip from Westerville to Lima took just under two hours, on a good day. So, naturally, it took just over three on days when a person happened to be in a hurry to get there.

Kurt drummed impatiently on his steering wheel as he waited for the crawling freeway traffic on I-75 to inch along towards his exit. Christmas carols played on the radio and he frequently sang along with snippets of various songs. He honestly thought that those sweet happy carols might have been the only thing that got him through this trip!

It had only been a month since he had transferred to Dalton Academy, but it felt like forever. He had originally assumed that he would be able to make it home most every weekend, so boarding in the dormitories at school during the week wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately, that had not worked out at all.

The first weekend had been the Sectionals competition and Kurt had been furiously working right up until the last moment before the bus left to learn the Warblers choreography and perfect his backup vocals. He still held the uncomfortable feeling that his visible nerves and clearly uncertain dancing had cost Dalton a few points on the judging sheets. Not that he had honestly wanted to beat New Directions, a tie was very good for him, but the other guys had been working hard for weeks on that routine and Kurt worried that his last-minute insertion into the group might have cost them. Not that they had held the result against him. On the contrary, the Warblers had been delighted to place in what he later learned was their first inter-choral competition in several years.

The next two weekends, Kurt had stayed at Dalton because his parents (How he loved being able to use that phrase!) had taken off on a week-long honeymoon to the Great Lakes. A far cry from the island paradise of Waikiki, but they had sounded extremely happy on the phone and he supposed it was probably the company that mattered more than the destination anyway. Finn had spent that 10 day period they were gone at various friends' houses. He could have stayed home and played bachelor pad, but his untimely breakup with Rachel Berry had left Finn craving company and distraction so he had crashed with Puck, Mike and Artie and video-gamed his brains out instead.

The final weekend had been exactly that; a Finals preparation weekend. Dalton had a three week winter holiday instead of the two that Kurt had been used to in his former school district, the break extending an extra week into the new year, and thus held winter Finals right before everyone left. Having just started in several of the classes he was now taking and being in a completely new place in the study curriculum for the rest, Kurt had panicked and studied himself into near-exhaustion. Not even Blaine, whom he counted as his very best friend at Dalton, had been able to coax him into taking breaks for longer than it took to cram down a meal or get a little sleep. At least all that anxiety had paid off. Grades had been posted yesterday afternoon and he had not earned lower than a B minus on a single one of his tests.

And now he was free! Three glorious weeks of vacation stretched out in front of him. There was Christmas to look forward to, a visit or two with his friends from New Directions, shopping and gossiping and laughter with his girls, and lots of time with Dad and the rest of their new family.

It was that last part that he was looking forward to the most. As unexpectedly difficult as it had been to say goodbye to Blaine this morning – neither one quite knowing if they should shake hands, hug, or perhaps kiss, but eventually settling on a friendly embrace and kiss on the cheek – Kurt's eagerness to go home had soothed the sting of that departure very nicely.

He smiled, a relieved sigh gusting from his lungs when the heavy clog of cars finally began inching forward again and he was able to get off the freeway at last. He could feel his heart thumping in anticipation as each mile drew him along the familiar streets of Lima and just that much closer to home.

In spite of the endless commute, it was only a few minutes past eleven a.m. on Saturday morning and the streets were bustling with human and vehicular traffic as everyone scurried about on daily errands and Christmas shopping trips. Kurt had told his family that he would be home around noon, having intended to stop for lunch and a bit of light shopping on the way, but he found that he could not wait any longer.

Dad and Carole were still looking for the perfect 4-person home, something close to everyone's work and their . . . no, _Finn's_ school. Lima's strict zoning policy for residents and schools was part of the reason Kurt had not simply transferred to one of the town's other three high schools when his bullying problem had erupted. If the family had moved to another district for _him_, then Finn would have had to move too, and that just would not have been fair. Last time Kurt had talked to his father, Burt had told him that he and Carole had found a house they thought would be perfect, but that he wanted to wait until Kurt came home so everyone would have a say before any papers were signed.

Kurt was glad they had waited. He would never say so, he would not risk hurting Carole's feelings for the world, but he had really wanted to spend one last Christmas in the home he had shared with his mom and dad.

People might think it was a little weird for a boy who believed in neither God nor Santa Claus to love celebrating Christmas, but he did. He loved all of the wonderful secular traditions of it. Shopping and wrapping gifts that one had to hide from their impatiently peeking father. Cooking and baking all manner of sugary, fattening, wonderful treats that he would barely touch during the entire rest of the year. Decorating Christmas trees and putting up wreaths and holiday knick-knacks and enough outdoor lights to satisfy his not-so-secret love of bright, colorful, slightly gaudy things. Charity drives, holiday parades, and displays of unusual kindness to perfect strangers. Giving in to the urge to burst into loud and clear song any old time he felt like it and having _nobody_ look at him strangely for it. That might just be the best thing of all, Kurt thought. He didn't even care that he was singing about spiritual things, he just loved the way people would smile and nod and occasionally start singing along. He wished the entire year could be like that.

As all these thoughts raced through his mind, Kurt's smile grew bigger and happier. By the time he pulled into his own familiar street and parked in his usual spot in the driveway, he was nearly giddy with excitement.

"I'm home!" he crowed, bursting in through the front door and looking around with happy eyes. Nobody answered, but he did not feel disappointed. There had been no other cars in the drive or on the street in front of the house so he had not really expected anyone. He had just wanted to say it. In fact, he wanted to say it again! Dropping his two suitcases in front of his basement door, Kurt moved into the very center of the living room and yelled as loud as he could, "**I'm home**!"

A giggle broke free as the words died out. It had been a silly thing to do, but it felt so good to just let go and make noise and not have anyone give him that patented Dalton frown of quiet disapproval. For three weeks, he would be able to say and do whatever he liked (within reason) and wear whatever he wanted to. Kurt sighed happily at that thought, crossing his arms and running his hands along the sleeves of his green and white cashmere sweater, then glancing down in satisfaction at the black skinny jeans and studded vintage combat boots he wore with it. How nice it had been to get up this morning and not have to put on any of the dozen or so depressingly-identical uniforms hanging in his closet!

It was not that he did not like Dalton. On the contrary, there was much to love about the place, and he was starting to find his niche among the students and society there, but the many rules and restrictions were stifling. Sometimes he felt that if he could not break away and be himself for a while, he would scream.

Glancing at his luggage, Kurt grabbed it up and practically danced down the stairs to his bedroom. Since he was away at boarding school, Finn had moved back in down here and there were signs of his presence everywhere. Finn's half of the room was clearly delineated with posters, plaques, video game controllers, backpacks, schoolbooks, loosely discarded shoes and clothing and all sorts of other clutter, his bed unmade. Kurt's, by contrast, was extremely tidy and a little Spartan. A couple of photographs, a large, neatly filed collection of books, music and movies in the cabinet next to the television, his vanity table with grooming products neatly aligned. Bed neatly and freshly made up and his immense collection of shoes and clothes neatly hidden away in appropriate drawers and closet space.

Kurt frowned a bit as he compared the two sides of the room. His habitual tidiness had made it easy to adapt to Dalton standards. He had never failed a single room inspection. Suddenly, he wished that he had, maybe just once. Surely it wasn't normal for a seventeen-year-old boy to be such a neat freak.

Just to show himself that he could, he tossed a suitcase onto his bed and opened it wide, leaving it there as he began removing his small cache of personal clothing and toiletries and putting them away. It felt good to see his toothbrush on the familiar holder next to Finn's and to have his favorite varieties of soap, shampoo and conditioner taking up space in the shower. He smiled to see that his favorite set of towels had already been placed on the rack for him. It made the slightly lonely sensation of knowing that life had gone on without him feel a little less sharp.

Back in his room, Kurt quickly emptied the second suitcase. This one was full of presents he had picked up in Westerville, already wrapped up safely against the possibility of prying eyes. He had every intention of doing the majority of his shopping in his favorite stores at the Lima mall – hopefully with Mercedes and some of the other girls in tow - but a few things had called out to him during explorations of his new temporary home-town.

Kurt had left the basement door open and the sound of the front door knob rattling upstairs had his head perking up like a hound on a fresh trail. Abandoning his suitcases, Kurt charged eagerly up the steps to greet the new arrival.

He jumped and clapped his hands before he could stop himself when he caught sight of the huge fluffy pine tree being manhandled into the living room by Burt and Finn. "You got the tree!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, it's a beauty!"

Setting the tree against the wall, Burt hurried over and embraced his son. Both Hummels laughed and snuffled a little wetly as they held each other close, Kurt closing his eyes and just breathing in the familiar mixture of motor oil and Old Spice, with just a hint of pine from Burt's recent chore. "I missed you, Dad," he sighed. "It's so good to be home."

"It's good to have you home. The place isn't the same without you," he replied, releasing Kurt reluctantly as he pulled back to get a good look at the boy. Burt shook his head. "Don't they ever feed you at that fancy schmanzy school of yours?"

He smiled. "Sure they do. I just seem to burn it up faster than I can eat it. Think Carole would be willing to fatten me up while I'm home?"

"Just try to stop her," he chuckled, hugging him again.

Finn was bouncing on his toes and grinning like a maniac as he waited for his turn. Kurt returned the look and held out his arms. "Merry Christmas, Brother!"

With a whoop, Finn charged forward, lifting Kurt clean off his feet and drawing forth a wild, delighted laugh as he spun him around in a circle.

"Put me down, you big gorilla," Kurt ordered, in spite of the fact that he was hugging back just as hard.

"Man, Kurt, it feels like forever since I've seen you, even though it's only been a few weeks since Sectionals."

He nodded, blue eyes shining with happiness as Finn set him gently down and he drew back to take in the much-missed sight of these two men he loved so much. "I was thinking the same thing as I drove home. This month has been super-fast and yet it feels like I haven't been here in a year. Where's Carole?"

"She had to work for a few hours," Burt explained, happily reaching out to ruffle Kurt's bangs. "She'll be home in a little while. Finn and I were hoping we could get the tree home and set up for decorating before you got here but we had a little trouble finding the perfect one."

Kurt grinned. "In that case, can I help?"

"Sure!" Finn agreed, beaming. "Want to help me put up some lights on the house afterward? Burt says you're really into that and I've never done it before."

"Never?" he said in surprise.

Finn shrugged. "I tried one year and almost electrocuted myself, so Mom wouldn't let me do it by myself anymore. She was usually working extra hours right before Christmas so we just stuck with the tree and a wreath for the front door."

Delight coursed through Kurt at the thought of sharing a few holiday traditions with his brand new family. He had been a little bit afraid that jealousy might overtake him again when Finn and Carole were fit into their celebration, but instead he felt joyful.

"Are you sure you don't want to rest up awhile, son?" Burt asked him as Kurt grabbed a stack of newspapers and began spreading them on the floor to catch needles and sap that might fall as the tree was trimmed to fit into the Christmas tree stand. "You been driving all morning."

"This _is_ rest, Dad," he countered with a grin. "You have no idea how amazing it feels to do something fun and messy and _Christmassy_ with you guys."

Burt grinned back and took off his cap, plunking it onto his son's head. "Here, put that on so you don't get sap in your hair. You about yelled my ears off when that happened last year."

Straightening the hat, he happily left it in place, not even caring how badly he knew the red and blue trucker cap clashed with his outfit. "Thanks. Hand me your Swiss army knife, will you? I'll cut these little branches away from the base."

A few minutes into the chore, Finn started humming and soon the three of them were belting out a laughter-punctuated rendition of "Frosty the Snowman" loud enough to wake the dead.

Just as they got the tree securely upright in its stand, the door opened and Carole's voice called out, "It sounds like Christmas in here!"

"Hi, Mom," Finn greeted. "We got the tree. Isn't it awesome? And look, Kurt's here!"

Kurt climbed out from behind the tree, automatically removing his dad's cap and smoothing his hair before he stepped forward into Carole's welcoming embrace.

"Oh, honey, I've missed you so much!" she cooed, hugging him tightly. "How is Dalton? Did you have a good drive in? Have you eaten yet? My goodness, I think you've been growing again! You're going to be giving Finn some competition soon if you're not careful."

She continued to fire off questions and observations, not really waiting for any answers as she took off her coat and kissed her husband and son hello, and Kurt grinned and shrugged at his dad and Finn as he willingly allowed himself to be led off into the kitchen.

"I'll help you with the lights after lunch," he told Finn. "Okay?"

"Lunch sounds good," he agreed, following along like a big friendly puppy as the prospect of food resorted his priorities.

Burt grinned happily and walked the Christmas tree over to its accustomed corner and began to clean up the mess. Kurt caught sight of him and popped his head back into the living room. "Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. I'll get that stuff."

"I got it. You go ahead and talk to Carole. She's been counting down the hours until you got home."

"Did you?" he asked with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

Burt made a face. "Nah, I barely even remembered you were coming."

Kurt laughed. "Liar."

Stuffing the paper and pine boughs into a sack that Finn had brought out, Burt paused on his way out to the recycling cart and grabbed Kurt in a quick hug. "You know it, kid. I love you."

"I love you too, Dad."

Kurt reentered the kitchen and his eyes lit up at the sight of the impressively large hero sandwich Carole had just cut in two and divided onto two plates. She added a pickle and a bag of chips – Sun Chips for him and Doritos for Finn – to each plate and handed them over. "There are some cookies in the jar if you want them after," she advised, starting on a pair of much smaller and less calorie packed sandwiches for herself and Burt. As the two teens dove hungrily into their lunch, she smiled. "Now, tell us all about your school, Kurt. I want to hear everything."


	2. Chapter 2

Finn could not stop smiling as he listened to Kurt describe his classes and fellow students at Dalton Academy, frequently interrupting himself to take hearty bites of his sandwich. He had missed his friend these last few weeks. Kurt had kept up with everyone through occasional phone calls and text messages, but it was not the same as seeing and hearing each other in person every day.

It was really nice to see Kurt so relaxed and happy, even though it made Finn feel bad that he had never noticed how _un_happy he had been during his time at McKinley. Even the way he ate was different. It was cool but weird to see polite, dainty, calorie-conscious Kurt Hummel mowing through his sandwich and chips with all the enthusiasm of . . . well, of a growing teenage boy!

"What?" Kurt asked, looking at Finn curiously when he noticed the goofy smile that was being aimed his way.

"You're eating."

Kurt frowned down at his plate, which now held little more than crumbs. "Pretty sure that's what your mom gave me the sandwich for," he pointed out. "What were you expecting me to do, put it on the Christmas tree?"

Glad to hear that familiar note of sarcasm, Finn just laughed. "No, I just never see you pack it away like that. Most of the time you hardly eat anything at all."

"I eat," he protested, face turning a little pink at the expressions of disagreement his comment drew from everyone else. "Okay, fine, so maybe I didn't have much appetite for a few weeks. I got over it! I wasn't kidding when I told Dad that my metabolism has been in overdrive lately. These last few weeks, it seems like I no sooner finish a meal than I'm hungry again."

Finn chuckled and stuffed his last few Doritos in his mouth. "Welcome to my world, dude."

"Honey, don't talk with your mouth full," Carole scolded, "And leave your brother alone. I, for one, am thrilled to see that he's got his appetite back."

Kurt and Finn exchanged an amused glance. It was fun to have people refer to them as brothers and Carole was clearly enjoying this new opportunity to have not one, but two sons to spoil.

"Me, too," Burt chimed in, sighing softly as he watched Kurt go to the cookie jar and return with a plateful of frosted sugar cookies, which he placed between himself and Finn. Burt's health had improved markedly in the months since his heart attack but sweets were still mostly forbidden to him. "I was getting kind of worried for awhile there."

"About me?" Kurt said, clearly surprised.

Burt gave him the same sarcastic look _he_ had given to Finn moments earlier, so exactly that Finn nearly burst out laughing. "No, about the neighbor's kid down the street. Of course, you. You always eat like a damn bird when you're upset about something."

They all smiled as they watched Kurt stuff two cookies in his mouth at the same time, chewing thoughtfully as he considered that his eating habits might have become a "tell" to his emotional state. "I didn't know I was that obvious."

"Only to people who love you," Carole said, squeezing his hand in that uniquely motherly way that never failed to bring a shy smile to Kurt's lips.

Finn had once been a little jealous of that, seeing his mom's affections extended to another kid, but now he actually enjoyed it. The same way Kurt had come to view his and Burt's shared obsession with sports with a kind of tolerant affection that had completely wiped out his original jealousy. It made Finn feel warm inside, this proof that the four of them really had become a family.

Clearly wishing to change the subject, Kurt perked up and said, "Speaking of birds, did I tell you guys about Pavarotti? He's this little canary that's mascot for the Warblers. Supposedly, his lineage goes back over a hundred years and it's the job of every new member to look after him until somebody else joins the group."

Burt made a pained face. "Are you telling me there's a live bird somewhere in this house?"

Kurt laughed. "No, Dad, he's back at Dalton. Thankfully Pavarotti doesn't leave school grounds except with a designated handler, so one of the staff members will take him home for the holidays. I've never been as relieved as when they told me I wouldn't have to babysit him over the break. I didn't even want to _think_ about taking care of him with no backup."

"It's just a little bitty canary, how hard could it be?" Finn asked, filching the frosted Christmas-tree Kurt had been reaching for and shooting a triumphant grin when he scowled at the betrayal.

"You wouldn't be asking that if I'd made you share a room with him for the next three weeks," Kurt shot back. "That stupid bird chirps half the night away, even when his cage cover is on, and he eats enough to feed a freaking ostrich! That expression 'eats like a bird' has absolutely no meaning to him. Well, except for a couple of weeks ago when he nearly gave me a stroke because he'd started molting. Apparently, birds lose feathers and get really listless when they're growing a new coat. I had no idea! I was sure I'd accidentally killed him or something. Thought I was about to be the fastest evictee in Warbler history."

They all laughed and Kurt was encouraged to tell a few more silly stories about his new pet and his fellow glee-club members. It seemed that the Warblers were a stiff and serious bunch until you got to know them, but were pretty decent guys under the surface. Kurt appeared to like them all and yet Finn could not shake the impression that he was not really _friends_ with any of them. At least not the way he had been with the members of New Directions. Part of him was glad of that. It was good to know that they all continued to hold a special place in his heart, but at the same time, Finn felt a little sad. It had been a month. Shouldn't Kurt be closer to a few of those guys by now?

The only one Kurt spoke of with any true warmth was Blaine, the one who had sung lead at Sectionals and whose picture Kurt had kept pasted in his locker for his last few weeks at McKinley. Mercedes had met him and reported that he seemed like a sweet person. She had also mentioned that this Blaine guy was gay and Finn couldn't help but wonder if he and Kurt might be a little bit more than friends. Kurt probably wouldn't have told him if they were.

He would have to press for details as soon as they were alone.

"So, what do you want to do with the outdoor lights?" he asked as a lull fell over the conversation. The cookies were gone, so there was no point in hanging around the kitchen any more. "We tested the decorations yesterday and there were a bunch of dead bulbs and stuff, so me and Burt bought a whole bunch of new ones."

"What kind?" he asked eagerly, eyes brightening with anticipation.

Burt smiled indulgently. "Mini-bulbs, big multi-colored bulbs, white twinkle lights, some of those little snowflake things . . . you name it, we probably got it."

Kurt's face had taken on a look Finn usually only saw when he had spotted a designer clothing sale somewhere. He would bet anything he owned that a dozen designs had already been visualized and rejected in the time it took Burt to finish speaking.

"I know exactly what we should do," he said, confirming Finn's thoughts. Clamping a hand firmly around Finn's wrist, Kurt hauled him to his feet. "Let's go get the ladders set up. How are you with heights?"

"Don't answer that," Burt advised quickly. "Let my little spider-monkey handle the rooftop. He's quick and he has absolutely no problem with running around on slanted surfaces. Besides, if you don't follow his exact instructions, he'll just make you climb back up that damned ladder a dozen times until you get it right."

Kurt blushed. "That only happened one time, Dad."

Burt shook his head and held up three fingers, making Finn and Carole laugh and Kurt huffily fold his arms over his chest. The dimple that popped into Kurt's right cheek gave him away and he was soon laughing too.

"All right, maybe more than one time," he admitted sheepishly, "but you have to admit, it looked fantastic when we were done."

"Yeah, it did," his father agreed with a chuckle. "That doesn't mean I'm not happy to avoid the chore, though. You two kids have at it. Go nuts! Just remember that this is new for Finn and let him have some of the fun, too, okay? Don't just put him to work and forget about letting him have a say in what goes where."

Kurt nodded. "I promise. I've earned a whole new appreciation for the need for every member of a team to have their opinions respected."

The parents nodded agreement and the boys grabbed jackets, hats and gloves and headed outside. It was a cold, crisp day with only a slight breeze and they both breathed deeply of the fresh winter air. It felt like a perfect day for decorating.

Finn led the way to the garage where the light sets had been temporarily stored, along with three different sizes of ladder. "What did you mean by that?" he asked as they began making trips back and forth, moving everything outside for easy access.

"By what?" Kurt asked, poring over the light strings with eager eyes.

"Having your opinions respected," Finn said, following Kurt's instruction to start by wrapping the first string of mini lights around the wide porch column.

Kurt shrugged, evenly feeding out the string as Finn wound it higher around the pole. "Individuality is not as highly prized as team conformity in the Warblers," he explained. "It's a little hard to get used to, but the system seems to work for them and I can't deny that the end result is worth the trouble."

"They _are_ really good," Finn agreed. "Or, I guess I should say you guys are really good. Somehow I still can't get used to thinking of you as a Warbler."

He laughed. "Sometimes, neither can I," he admitted. Casting a critical eye upon their work as Finn reached the end of the first string, he decided, "That looks good. Let's hook a string of the larger frosted bulbs in next. Do you want to go straight across or weave it to the upstairs and around the window?"

Pleased that his opinion actually was being sought, Finn said, "It'd be really cool to have lights around all the windows and up and down the roof ridge. Maybe we could do white around the windows and color for the rest?"

Kurt studied the outline of the house for a moment, and then nodded. "I like it. Let me pull the ladder over so I can get up there."

Finn's intention to grill Kurt about Blaine was quickly forgotten as they became more involved with their work and the excitement of watching their vision come to life. Burt had not been joking about Kurt's lack of fear when it came to scrambling over rooftops. Even when he was standing all the way up on top of the ridge pole with his hands on his hips like some kind of modern day Peter Pan, Kurt did not look nervous at all. In fact, Finn was more concerned watching him than Kurt seemed to be about risking his neck.

Quickly, their design took shape as new ideas were considered and rejected. Kurt's desire to hang snowflake lights from the gutter beat out Finn's preference for candy canes, and Kurt argued vehemently against the tackiness of putting a light-infused Santa and reindeer sleigh on the roof, pointing out that they did not even have a chimney, but Finn gave him the full power of the puppy dog eyes and managed to win that one easily. He regretted it as soon as he realized that the sleigh was too heavy and awkward for one person, so he would have to climb up on the roof, but Kurt's enthusiastic chatter about all the places he wanted to go Christmas shopping managed to distract him sufficiently to get through the ordeal.

Christmas carols kept spontaneously bursting out of their lips and so they sang as they worked, blithely ignoring running noses and cold digits as the temperature continued to drop throughout the afternoon. Neighbors frequently left their houses to watch the decorating process and invariably smiled at the two merrily singing workers.

They kept going tirelessly for several hours until at last Carole came out to check on them.

"Wow," she said as she took in the display. "You boys really outdid yourselves! I think you'd better come inside, though. It's getting dark and you can finish up tomorrow."

"No need," Kurt told her, climbing quickly down the medium sized ladder next to the porch and hooking up the final string of lights to the circuit protector Finn had installed and hidden behind the edge of the porch rail. "Your timing was perfect."

Finn stuck his head inside the house and yelled, "Hey, Burt, we're all done! Come out and see!"

In moments, Burt Hummel joined his wife and boys on the lawn as Finn nodded to Kurt.

"I think Carole should do the honors," Kurt decided, grinning and giving her an exaggeratedly gallant bow as he pointed to the control switch.

"I'd love to," she agreed, face filled with eagerness. They each took a deep breath as she flipped the switch, hoping there was not going to be a short circuit somewhere to ruin things, but everything lit up beautifully.

Burt laughed, throwing his arm around Kurt's shoulders. "The electric bill for all those lights is going to put me in hock, but you guys did a great job!"

"Oh, look at the little Santa sleigh!" Carole pointed out, drawing a smug look from Finn and an eye roll from Kurt. "And the snowflakes! And the window lights!"

Her pure, child-like delight in their work had the two artists puffing up with pride.

"It looks fantastic," Burt agreed indulgently, "but right now I think we better get you guys inside before we end up adding a couple of ice-sculptures to the lawn. Come on."

The mention of the dropping temperature seemed to remind Kurt exactly how long he had been outside, for he suddenly shivered from head to toe. Finn felt cold just looking at him. Thoroughly satisfied with his first experience as an outdoor light decorator, he generously offered, "I'll put the ladders and stuff away if you want first dibs on a hot shower."

Kurt flashed him a grateful smile. "Thanks, Finn. And thanks for doing all of this with me. It was a lot of fun."

He nodded happily. It had barely begun and he already knew that their first family Christmas was going to be completely awesome.


	3. Chapter 3

The sensation of hot water coursing over winter-chilled skin was delicious. Kurt let go a deep sigh as he stepped beneath the spray, allowing the gushing heat to saturate his hair and chase the shivers from his body. This was one thing he really did miss at Dalton, private showers with just enough water pressure to be really soothing. At an all-boys boarding school with over 200 students, personal bathing facilities simply weren't an option. He shared his bedroom with a roommate and his bathroom with six additional boys.

He smiled, deciding right then that he was going to take his sweet time about his moisturizing routine tonight. At school, he lived on a strict schedule and had been forced to learn haste in his routines. As a result, the number of beauty products he used had decreased by more than half. It really had to be some kind of miracle that his complexion had not completely deteriorated!

Kurt sang as he scrubbed, enjoying that freedom as well. Singing in the shower wasn't forbidden at Dalton, but Kurt preferred to avoid drawing attention to himself when he was standing naked in a room full of other young men. No one had acted rude or paranoid about his sexuality so far, but Kurt had not made up his mind if that was because the boys were unnaturally civilized or if they just didn't realize that he was gay. Without his flashy designer wardrobe, diva attitude – he really was doing his best to tone that down in the spirit of uniformity – and natural tendency to hang out with girls more than boys, Kurt really had become just another face in the crowd.

That thought drew a frown as he rinsed out his shampoo and added conditioner to his hair. In some ways, he hated being just like everyone else. In other ways, it was nice. He certainly did not miss the daily taunts, humiliation and abuses, but he wished that he did not feel so often as though he'd walked straight back into the closet! Blaine, Wes and David all knew the truth about him, but Blaine was the only person who ever acknowledged it. He had informed Kurt that in addition to them, there were six other gay students currently enrolled at Dalton. Blaine had pointed the boys out to him and Kurt had been a little shocked. They were every bit as average . . . he tried hard to avoid the word bland . . . as everyone else at the school.

Average boys with completely average lives. It was a small price to pay for the complete lack of bullying. Wasn't it?

A thud from the bedroom woke Kurt from his inner musings. Finn was probably getting impatient for his turn. It wouldn't be very brotherly of him to use up all the hot water after Finn had been nice enough to let him go first. Washing out the last of the conditioner and giving himself one final rinse, Kurt shut off the spray and wrapped himself in his fluffy white toweling robe, dedicating just a few minutes to blow drying his hair.

Finn looked up and smiled at him as he emerged from the bathroom. "Feel better?"

"Much," he agreed, plunking down in front of his vanity mirror and combing his hair back so he could begin his skin care regimen. Looking at Finn in the mirror, he said, "I left you some hot water."

"Cool. Oh, and Mom said to tell you that dinner will be ready in about 20 minutes. She was getting the biscuit dough ready for baking when I came downstairs."

Kurt nodded and stepped up the pace of his routine, vigorously wiping the exfoliating solution from his skin and starting on the first of his three moisturizers. Screw taking his time! The beef stew that his stepmother was preparing in the crock pot was sending tantalizing odors all over the house, making his stomach grumble eagerly, and Carole's homemade biscuits were to die for. He did not want to be late for dinner and he still needed time to get dressed.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. The glee club is having a holiday thing – a slumber party or whatever she called it – at Tina's house tomorrow night," Finn said as he gathered up a change of clothes in preparation for his own shower. "You're invited, too. In fact, Mercedes and Artie both threatened me with bodily harm if I don't bring you."

Delighted with the prospect, Kurt grinned and turned around to face him. "Are you serious? _Artie_ threatened you?"

"Said he'd run over my foot at every practice from now until Regionals."

Kurt laughed. "Doesn't he kind of do that anyway?"

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, kinda, but that's mostly because I always turn left when I'm supposed to go right or whatever."

"I remember," he said, hoping Finn did not hear the wistful note in his voice. He was happy at Dalton. He was glad to be a Warbler. He was going to get used to not being a part of New Directions. Even if he had to repeat this mantra to himself one hundred times per night until it became truth. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice so that his brother could hear him from behind the freshly closed bathroom door. "Am I supposed to bring anything?"

The water had come on, but Finn had apparently caught the question for he shouted, "Everybody is supposed to bring snack food and some kind of gag gift. We all drew names yesterday to see who we'd be playing Santa for."

"That doesn't exactly help me, Finn!" he called back in exasperation. There was no answer except for Finn's voice rising in a loud rendition of, "Merry Christmas, Baby" and Kurt sighed, realizing he had not been heard.

Not that he could not find a perfect gift that would suit pretty much anyone, but he hated the thought of being completely impersonal when everyone else would be buying for someone specific. Especially with a joke gift! How was he to know what sense of humor to appeal to? Dry wit, childish prank, gross out humor, cute and harmless? It would totally depend on the recipient.

Kurt finished applying the last of his moisturizers and wiped his hands. Mulling the possibilities, he hunted out a fresh pair of boxer-briefs, a pair of black sweat pants and a red sweater that was old enough to be completely out of style but still in excellent condition and one of the most comfortable garments he owned. He smiled as he got dressed and checked his reflection in the vanity mirror, remembering how much his father had loathed these sweaters that stopped just a few inches above the knee when they were in vogue.

Turning to model the garment for himself, Kurt smoothed his hands down his hips and ruefully reflected that the sweater was not nearly as long on him as it once had been. No longer than mid-thigh now and noticeably looser through the midsection. A year made quite a difference when one was only seventeen.

Ah, well, he was not out to impress anyone tonight. With that fact in mind, he ignored the neatly arranged rows of shoes and boots and instead got out the fluffy, black sock-slippers that his great aunt had sent him last Christmas. They were a decided fashion no-no – he could still recall how revolted he had been when they first arrived in the mail - but he had tried them on just so he could avoid lying in the thank you note that claimed they were a perfect fit, and discovered that the absurd looking things were actually super comfortable.

Kurt contemplated his left foot at he pulled on the second slipper. He was not completely sure where a person would shop for them, but a pair of these would make an excellent joke gift for just about anyone, especially if he could find a pair in some particularly hideous color.

He snickered, picturing Noah Puckerman wearing a pair of neon-pink bootie slippers.

"What's funny?" Finn asked, emerging in a cloud of steam and scrubbing his wet hair with a towel. He, too, had opted for sweats, pairing his with a long sleeved McKinley High T-shirt.

"I don't know who I've got for the present exchange thing you mentioned and I was considering random gift ideas," he said honestly, deciding not to confess his thoughts just in case he happened to get Finn as his recipient.

Finn blinked in surprise, chucking his wet towel haphazardly in the direction of the towel rack behind him and shrugging when it landed messily on the floor. "Oh . . . right. I picked for you. I guess I should have told you that."

"Wasn't it supposed to be a secret?" Kurt asked, rolling his eyes as he picked the towel up off the floor and deposited it in the laundry hamper.

Finn just smiled wider. "It still is!" Picking up his backpack, he rummaged through the contents until he exclaimed in triumph and pulled out a tiny crumpled ball of paper. "I didn't look, just in case it was my name you drew, but Tina let me pick twice. Once for me and once for you."

A warm, happy feeling surged through Kurt's belly. He had not been forgotten by his old friends, even though he was not among them anymore. "What if you drew my name for me?"

For a moment, Finn looked baffled by the difficulty of the question, but then he decided. "If that happened, we'll just switch names. I didn't draw myself. You'll know that I'm your Secret Santa but it'll be okay as long as you don't peek at your gift early."

Kurt laughed. "I can live with that." He unfolded the little paper ball and read it. "Oh, crap."

"Did you get yourself?"

"No, I got . . . should I tell you?"

Finn grinned. "I got Puck. Now you _have_ to tell me."

"How is that fair? You've known Puck since you were, what? Six? Seven? I have to pick out a joke gift for the one kid I barely know!"

He pondered that for a second before he realized, "You drew Sam?"

Kurt turned the paper around so he could see it. "Yes, and unfortunately the only things I know about him are that he plays football and likes cheerleaders." He paused, a thoughtful gleam filling his eyes. Brushing a hand through his hair, he chuckled a trifle wickedly. "You know what? I take that back. I _do_ know one other thing about him."

"What?"

Hands rubbing together gleefully, Kurt said, "You'll see. I'm going to call Mercedes after dinner and see if she wants to go shopping with me tomorrow. You want to come?"

Alarm leapt into Finn's eyes. "Oh, no! I'm not going through that again."

Kurt gave him a scolding look. "Finn, don't be a baby. You went shopping with me _one_ time, and even you have to admit that your wardrobe underwent a marked transformation under my supervision. You never looked better."

"I don't care," he said firmly. "We spent two hours just buying shoes, Kurt. _Shoes_!"

"Wimp." Finn was clearly not budging, and Kurt sighed dramatically. "Fine, have it your way. Just for that, see if I get _you_ anything good for Christmas."

Finn pouted. His lower lip actually popped forward. "That's not very nice. What would Santa say?"

They stared at each other for a long moment, then both of them lost their composure at the same time, giggling and snorting until tears ran down their faces.

Burt Hummel came down the basement steps, smiling as he beheld the two hysterically laughing teenagers, obviously happy to see them getting along so well. "I don't know what's got into you two but if you can get yourselves together enough to eat, dinner is on the table."

Kurt leapt up at once, still grinning broadly, playfully pressing a loud, firm kiss against his father's cheek. It was something he had not done since he was a young child and his eyes sparkled with fun as he took note of the startled expression on his face.

As he thundered up the stairs, focused on the waiting food, Finn grinned at his step father.

"It's really cool to have him home, isn't it?"

Burt wiped off his cheek, chuckling fondly as he followed the boys back upstairs. He sighed contentedly as he replied, "It sure is."


	4. Chapter 4

"Will you quit fidgeting? You're driving me crazy." Finn's exasperated comment managed to get the other boy to stop wriggling in his passenger side seat for all of five seconds. Then he started tapping his feet against the floor board and drumming his fingers against the window. "Kurt! What are you so nervous about?"

Kurt huffed and dropped his hands into his lap, folding them together and making a concerted effort to be still. "Sorry. I'm just excited, I guess. It's been so long since I've seen them."

Finn smiled at him. "It's only been a month."

"Only a month," Kurt repeated sarcastically. "You wouldn't be so blasé about it if our positions were reversed. I text and talk sometimes with Mercedes and Rachel, but seeing Mercedes this morning made me realize how much I've really missed everybody. And it's not like summer vacation, you know, where we all have the expectation of being back in school together in a couple of months. I walked out on all of you, Finn. What if the others haven't forgiven me for that?"

Kurt's fingers had begun twisting in his lap and Finn felt a pang of pity for him. He really was worried about this. Somehow, in Finn's mind, the moment Kurt crossed back over the city line into Lima he became one of their own again and no longer a part of Dalton Academy. Obviously, for Kurt it was not quite that easy.

Turning the truck left as he came to the next street that would lead them to Tina's house, Finn shook his head. "They didn't forgive you, Kurt." The other boy looked stricken until he added, "They were never mad at you to begin with. I mean, sure Puck and Santana did a lot of grumbling about how we could have protected you if you'd let us, but that's just because they were bummed out about not noticing how bad things had gotten for you in the first place. They get it now, though. I get it."

"You?"

Finn shifted in his seat. "Yeah, I was kind of pissed that you and Mom and Burt shut me out of the discussion when you decided to transfer, like I wasn't part of the family," he admitted, "but Mom sat me down and explained that it wasn't really your decision either. You were in danger and they took action to protect you, same as the glee club wanted to. It sucks that I didn't say that to you before you left, or talk to you more after you were gone. I'm really sorry for that, Kurt."

A small sniffle and a tight smile gave Kurt away, even though he managed to keep his eyes from tearing up. "It's okay. I didn't know what to say anyway. It all happened so fast and I was so relieved to escape, and to have somebody else take charge that I didn't fight it."

"You were really scared, huh?"

He nodded. "Terrified. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was jumping at every shadow and loud noise; it was awful." Kurt ducked his head, looking very much ashamed. "I let Karofsky turn me into exactly the kind of timid little coward I've always despised."

"You are _not_ a coward," Finn told him firmly. "Remember what you told me a long time ago about how my dad had gone into battle but he hadn't gone empty-handed? You didn't lose your courage, Kurt, you just had your weapon taken away and needed somebody else to stand in your place and fight for you until you could get it back."

Kurt raised one eyebrow. "That's quite an analogy. I'm impressed. What's my weapon, though?"

"Same as mine. Your voice. I don't know what Karofsky did, exactly, but he made you too afraid to speak up. Afraid to tell anyone what you were going through, including the people who care the most about you. That had to suck."

A shocked expression had stolen over Kurt's delicate features. "Yeah," he said faintly. "It did."

"So why should anyone be mad at you? Even the best soldier has to retreat and regroup sometimes. We get that."

Finally, a true smile lit Kurt's face. "Sometimes I forget why you're the leader of the glee club and the football team, and then you remind me with just a few words."

Sure that had to be a good thing, he grinned back. "Feel better now?"

"Thanks, Finn."

He changed the subject. "Those brownies you made this afternoon were awesome. Can I have one to tide me over until we get to Tina's?"

"No," Kurt said, his tone allowing for no argument. "We're only about ten minutes away. You can wait that long. Besides, you already ate _five_ of them before I could even get them into the basket!"

"But they're yummy," he explained plaintively.

Kurt chuckled. "I'm glad you like them. You're still not getting any."

"Bet that's not what you'd say to Blaine," Finn teased, slipping his innuendo in so quickly that even he was a bit startled by it.

The expression on Kurt's face was priceless. He somehow managed to go pale and blush like a beet at the same time.

"What do you-? We haven't- We're not- I don't-" After the fourth false start, he gave up and thumped the back of his head petulantly against the passenger seat, glaring at Finn so darkly that the taller boy started laughing again. "That's not funny."

"Yeah, it is!" he countered. "So you guys really are a little more than friends, huh? I thought you might be just because of the way you talk about him."

Kurt looked a bit nervous. "How do I talk about him?"

"I dunno, just . . . different. You talk about the other guys at Dalton the way I do the football team. You know? Like, the guy is cool and I work well with him and all, but we're not really close. When you talk about Blaine you go all perky."

A pained expression came over Kurt's face. "Perky? Seriously?"

"Totally," he laughed.

"Well, we . . . we're friends," he hedged. "Good friends."

Finn could not resist teasing him some more. "Well, we're friends, too and you don't act that way with me." He suddenly grimaced, realizing what he was saying. "I mean, not anymore."

Kurt groaned and hid his face in his hands. "Don't remind me."

"It's cool, man. We're past that now," Finn reminded him, adding, "Right?"

"Long past," he agreed, finally looking up again. He sighed, smoothing his hair out of reflex. "It really shows that badly with Blaine? Mercedes was grilling me about him this morning, too."

Finn halted their conversation to make a quick right, then left turn, double-checking street signs as he went. He had not been to Tina's house before and the neighborhood was heavily populated and easy to get lost in after dark. "Am I going the right way? I thought this was supposed to be Monroe Avenue."

"Monroe is three more blocks up, then you take another left," Kurt advised. "I told you that you should have let me drive."

"I've got it," he said, clutching the steering wheel as if Kurt was somehow going to seize control away from him.

It was rare for Kurt to let anyone drive his "baby" but he had relinquished the keys with little argument when Finn had offered to do the driving tonight. He was still a bit tired after the long drive in from Westerville yesterday, followed by his decorating frenzy and a marathon shopping trip with Mercedes this morning.

Finn appreciated the sign of trust that Kurt was showing him and had vowed to treat the beautiful SUV with all the loving care she deserved. "About you liking that Warbler dude," he continued. "Yeah, man. I'm sorry, but it totally shows."

Kurt sighed. "To everybody but him. Maybe I'm just doomed to crush on guys who aren't interested in me."

"Why isn't he? I mean, I thought he was gay. Mercedes said he was."

The other boy's eye-roll was enough to clearly express his opinion of that question. "He is gay, but all that means is that I'm equipped with the right parts. It doesn't automatically mean he wants to tap them. You don't want to get with every girl you meet, just because they're girls, do you?"

"No," he admitted, "but some guys do. I thought maybe Blaine was like Puck, only for dudes."

Kurt's face was caught somewhere between deep insult and incredulous humor. "Blaine could not be less like Noah Puckerman if he tried. He's a gentleman, in every sense of the word. He has beautiful, old-fashioned manners and if he does flirt a little, I think that's just his way of trying to make me feel comfortable in a new environment. I'm sure if he was interested in me, he would have said something."

"Unless he's waiting for you to say something," Finn pointed out reasonably. "Just because he's a gentleman doesn't mean he thinks of you as a lady, or that you have to act like one. You have nice manners too, but prim and proper isn't really your thing. Why don't you just hit on him? He knows you've been through a lot of crap this year, so maybe he thinks he needs to stand back and wait until you're ready."

Kurt was staring at him strangely. "What the hell was in those brownies? I swear, it's like you got a little bit wiser with every one you ate."

Finn shot him a proud grin. "That mean you're going to make a move?"

The blush rose up in Kurt's cheeks again. "You really think I should?"

"Sure! You're a good guy, Kurt, and smart and nice and clean and all. Why wouldn't a dude go for you? You know, if he was gay."

He made a face. "Clean?"

Finn shrugged. "Yeah, you know, you always smell nice and brush your teeth and stuff." Seeing that Kurt did not exactly look flattered by this, he made an impatient gesture with his right hand. "Well, what do you want me to say? I can't exactly tell you that you're cute. I mean, you kind of _are_ but you're a dude, and you're my brother, and that's just weird."

A bark of laughter burst out of Kurt's mouth, which he quickly covered with one hand. "I'm sorry," he said, eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Finn. That's very sweet . . . I think. As for Blaine, I'll consider it. Maybe three weeks away from him will give me enough time to work up the nerve to actually do something."

"Cool," he said, beaming with satisfaction over his awesome matchmaking skills. Craning his neck to see the nearest street sign, he asked, "Is it right or left here?"

"Right," Kurt told him. "Just go six blocks straight. The street dead ends and Tina's house is the last one on the left when you reach the end."

As they moved along the quiet street, admiring a few houses that had put up outdoor lights, Finn said, "Ours is better."

"I think so, too."

"We make a pretty awesome team."

Glancing at Finn, he smiled. "Yes, we do."

Nothing more was said until the boys had pulled up in front of Tina's large home, slotting into a space between Mercedes little red Honda and Puck's beat-up old Chevy pickup. They quickly jumped out of the car and gathered their things from the back of the SUV. Brownies, a huge 2-gallon picnic jug filled with lemonade that Finn's mom had made for him, two wrapped presents for the gift exchange (Kurt had refused to show him what he had picked out for Sam), a backpack for Finn and a small suitcase for Kurt and two sleeping bags. Kurt had also packed his favorite pillow. They were quite a sight, juggling all of their possessions up the stone walkway to the front door, where Finn managed to push the doorbell with his knuckle.

Tina opened the door almost immediately, her face lighting up at the sight of Kurt. "You came!" she said, launching herself at him for a hug, in spite of how full his hands were.

Kurt dropped his sleeping bag and suitcase, juggling the pillow, brownies and present as he managed to give her a one armed hug in return. "Hi, Tina, thank you for inviting me!"

"Hi, Tina," Finn said, grinning at her enthusiasm.

He was not at all put out to be ignored, in fact he had expected it, but Tina laughed and hugged him too. "Sorry, Finn. Come on in, you guys! Everybody is here except for Lauren, Rachel and Sam."

As if called by the mention of them, a swarm of teenagers suddenly appeared and threw themselves at Kurt, hugging him and pounding his back. One brave soul even dared to ruffle his hair when they could not reach anything else. All of the boys' burdens were spirited away as if by magic and Finn found himself pulled into the throng along with his brother.

"Don't close the door!" Rachel's voice called just as Tina started to shut it. She reopened it and pulled their tiny diva into the greeting frenzy. Rachel laughed and hugged Kurt around the neck, then managed to squeeze Finn around the ribs before he could move away. He stiffened and stepped back, trying not to feel bad about the disappointment on her face.

Everyone moved into the living room, babbling and laughing as they went. Tina's parents had vacated the premises, allowing their daughter to move all of the furniture back to make room for an assortment of airbeds, sleeping bags, beanbags and blankets. Luckily it was a very large house with a lot of floor space. The only person who would not be using the floor to sleep on was Artie and a couch had already been made up for him that would allow him to shift in and out of his wheelchair easily.

A large Christmas tree dominated one corner of the room and a variety of small gifts had been lined up before it. As instructed, Finn and Kurt had written the name of their gift recipients on the tags with no mention of who the givers were. Guessing would be part of the fun!

The final two teens arrived within the next fifteen minutes, Sam giving Kurt a cordial fist-bump, while Lauren simply grunted a greeting at everyone in general and offered a large barrel of multi-flavored popcorn to all takers.

The offer of food was all it took to get them started. Plates, bags, bowls, baskets and microwave dishes full of snacks were placed on a folding table in the middle of the room. Tina's mother had left a large tray of hot buffalo wings and soon everyone had grabbed a paper plate and a place to sit and was digging in. Finn's lemonade was well received, he being the only person who had decided to bring a beverage instead of food, and plastic cups also made the rounds.

Kurt was the center of attention, pelted with questions from everyone about his new life at Dalton Academy and how it felt to be back home, but he asked as many questions as he answered, hungry to catch up on the lives of his friends. As Finn had predicted, nobody held his departure against him and Kurt quickly relaxed. Soon, it felt almost as though he had never left.

"These brownies are freaking amazing," Artie said, sinking his teeth blissfully into a moist, lightly frosted square. "What kind of mix did you use?"

"These didn't come out of a box," Kurt said, a trifle insulted. "It's my mom's old recipe. I always make them at Christmastime."

Puck, who was sitting closest to him, flung an arm around his shoulders. "Guess who just became my new best bud for the holidays. Dude, if we combined your brownie recipe with my special cupcake recipe, we could _own_ this town. Or maybe you could give a batch to those stiffs at Dumbass Academy and loosen them up a little."

Everyone laughed, though Kurt looked a bit horrified by the idea of feeding his new classmates pot brownies. "They're not stiffs. And it's Dalton."

"Whatever," he scoffed, munching another brownie. Luckily, Kurt had anticipated his greedy friends and baked three batches. "Looked like stiffs to me. Other than that hammy lead singer, they looked like a bunch of robots at Sectionals. Even you and I know you've got some moves."

"Blaine isn't a ham," Kurt defended stiffly.

Santana laughed. "Oh, please." She put on a bright show-face and mocked Blaine's exaggerated brow raises and facial contortions. "He mugs worse than Rachel."

"Hey!" she objected. "It's important to connect with the audience, and facial expression is a big part of that. I thought Kurt's friend did very well, and so did he. Especially when he only had a week to get to know their routines."

Kurt tossed his head. "Exactly. Thank you, Rachel."

Mercedes laughed and threw the celery stalk she had just plucked off Sam's veggie tray at them. "Okay, just knock that off right now. Seeing the two of you act all buddy-buddy is seriously weirding me out. What are you, like, Stepford Kurt now?"

"No," he objected, "I've just learned to pick my battles and Rachel and I have discovered that we have a few things in common now that we're not in direct competition any more."

Finn squirmed at those words. He had been planning to ask Kurt's advice about his and Rachel's newly dissolved relationship, trusting his new brother to be on his side, but if he and Rachel were really close now that might not be such a good idea. Kurt would probably feel obligated to be impersonal, or whatever the word was, considering both sides equally.

Interestingly, Mercedes didn't look so happy with their new closeness either, shooting Rachel some pretty evil glances over her plate.

"Is it time for Santa to come yet?" Brittany interjected suddenly, seeming to have no awareness of the topics going on around her. She looked around the room, as though expecting the jolly old fellow to suddenly pop into existence.

Sitting next to her, Artie gently patted her hand. "Santa isn't coming tonight, Brittany. He's busy until Christmas Eve. That's why we brought our own gifts for each other."

"Oh, yeah," she said, brightening. "Let's do that, then."

Everyone else was willing, nodding agreement as they scarfed down the last few bites of their first wave of snacks. There was plenty of food left for seconds (thirds, in Lauren's case) later.

Being closest to the tree, Mike and Tina handed everyone the gift with their name on it. "Who should go first?" Tina asked, once everyone had a package in hand.

"Why don't we let Brittany go first, since it was her idea," Quinn suggested, playing with the fiercely curled green ribbons that bedecked her gift. "Then whoever gave that gift can be next, and so on."

The others agreed that this was a good idea, figuring they could just choose somebody at random if the circle was broken prematurely.

Brittany wasted no time with delicate unwrapping, ripping off the paper with all the vigor of an excited five year old. She pulled out a simple white hair comb, still in its plastic packaging. Her reaction confused everyone when she squealed and threw her arms around Artie, who laughed and said, "I thought you should have one of your own. No guarantees of magic, but you never know."

"Thank you, Artie," she said, kissing him. "I'll put it under my pillow so that the magic can seep into me every night while I sleep."

He grinned and everybody else just shrugged. They'd get the story out of him later. Artie opened his gift, which turned out to be a male Cheerios uniform. He shot a puzzled glance at the three cheerleaders.

"Football season is almost over," Quinn told him with a smirk. "Last year, you joined Glee with Kurt, then this year you followed his footsteps to play football. Now that he's transferred, I know it will only be a matter of time until you try to become a singing Cheerio."

Kurt and all of the girls burst out laughing, while most of the guys threw popcorn and chips at the grinning boy, who held up the uniform shirt and modeled his new look for them.

Around the circle they went, some gifts getting excited responses and some puzzled glances, but all receiving good natured smiles and laughs. Finn blushed scarlet when he received a glittery penis ring with a vibrator inside from Santana. She claimed it was to build "stamina". He tucked the embarrassing toy out of sight in his pocket while the other guys roared with laughter. The girls, plus Kurt, all looked a little embarrassed on his behalf but none of them could help giggling at the look on his face.

Finn had given Puck a classic Chia-Pet, which cracked both boys up for reasons that nobody else understood. (Puck and Finn had once killed all of Carole Hudson's house plants in a single weekend on a giant helpful overwatering spree when they were eight years old and had then tried to replace the ruined greenery with Chia-Pets, hoping she would not notice.)

Rachel received a motivational CD entitled, "Gain Self-Confidence Through Singing!" from Sam, which just about brought the house down with laughter.

Eagerly leaning forward to get a good view of whatever Kurt had chosen for Sam, Finn's brow creased in confusion when he saw what it was. A blond, brightly smiling Malibu Ken doll, which had been taken from his original packaging and placed with his arms and legs lovingly wrapped around a bottle of shampoo, large letters proclaiming it as specially formulated for color treated hair.

"Thanks, Kurt," he said with a roll of his eyes, not even having to guess who had given him the gift.

Kurt put on his most innocent expression and held up his freshly filled plastic cup. "Glad you like it. Would you care for some more _lemon-_ade, Sam?"

Sam looked immediately to Quinn, who blushed and hid her face in his shoulder as she laughed. "He forced it out of me, I swear!"

A sparkle of triumph filled Kurt's blue eyes as he grinned and held a hand out to Sam, who laughed ruefully and shook it. "It's beginning to make me nervous that you're part of our competition for Regionals," Sam told him.

"As it should," Kurt replied airily, and then burst out laughing, happy to have got confirmation of his suspicions at last.

"I think you're the last one, Kurt," Mercedes commented, noting that everyone else had opened their gifts.

Kurt picked up the package in his lap, a garment box of some kind, judging from the size and shape. "I'm a little scared to open it. By process of elimination, I think this came from Brittany?"

She nodded, happily playing with Sam's new Ken doll, which she had already determined needed to have a sleepover with hers that night. Sam had handed the doll over without comment.

Bravely tearing the paper off in one quick motion, Kurt popped the tape at the sides of the box and opened the lid. He laughed when he saw, "Christmas pajamas!" Sure enough, the light blue pajama set was decorated with pictures from the classic animated 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' television special. "I loved this cartoon when I was little. How did you know?"

"I didn't, but you like clothes," Brittany pointed out, smiling at him, "and Rudolph didn't fit in with the other reindeer until they figured out that he was special and could do things nobody else could. Kind of like you. And Rudolph went away from his friends and made new friends and helped out the misfits. Then he came home again and everybody was happy."

A little startled to hear this rather astute observation coming from Brittany, Finn exchanged a questioning glance with Kurt.

"Hey, Brit," he said after a moment. "Did you try Kurt's brownies?"

"I had four!" she chirped, licking her lips.

He laughed as he looked to his brother. "What _did _you put in those brownies, Kurt?"

Kurt laughed too. "I wish I knew!"

Much to the delight of his friends, Kurt soon decided he wanted to try on his gift. Mercedes had also received nightwear, a floor length black nightgown with high lace frills at the collar and cuffs that Tina had given her as joke retaliation for saying that one of her recent Goth outfits looked like something her grandmother would wear.

The two best friends grinned at each other and disappeared into separate rooms to change. They emerged almost simultaneously, Kurt in his new flannel PJs and Mercedes in her granny-gown, striking a series of ridiculously vampy poses as they stalked through the living room, making bitchy runway-model faces at each other as they passed their laughing friends.

"You guys were born for this!" Finn told them.

"We were, weren't we?" Kurt agreed, running his hands teasingly down the front of his shirt and winking at Mercedes, which cracked her up and ruined her composure. Kurt laughed and gave her a hug, then decided, "You know, these pajamas are actually really comfortable. I think I'll leave them on tonight."

Mercedes opted to change and everyone else soon followed suit and got into their own nightclothes. They ate, sang and laughed together for hours, only eventually settling into their assorted bedding after Tina's parents came downstairs to pointedly wish everyone a good night around 2am.

The lights went out, but as with any good slumber party, whispers and giggles continued far into the night.

Later on, nobody would regret a moment of the lost sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt woke slowly, yawning and snuggling deeper into his pillow as awareness of his surroundings crept over him. He wriggled a bit, wondering why there was no give to his mattress and why his left side was so much warmer than his right.

Prying his reluctant eyelids open, he lifted his head and squinted. For a moment, the unfamiliar setting puzzled him and then he remembered the party. He was still at Tina's place, lying in a sleeping bag on the floor of her living room. Turning his head, his eyes widened a little as he realized that the warmth he had detected was coming from Rachel Berry. The small girl was cuddled against his ribs with her arm draped over his back, sleeping peacefully.

"She was there when I woke up," an amused voice said, and Kurt craned his neck trying to see the speaker over his right shoulder. Artie, dressed and groomed for the day and clearly having been up for a while, wheeled his chair closer. "I think she must've been cold."

He glanced again at Rachel then looked around the room. Surprised to see most of the floor space clear, he asked, "Am I the last one up?"

Artie grinned. "Yep. It's almost eleven and everyone else has been up for at least an hour. I always thought you'd be one of those people who wake at the slightest noise in a strange place, but instead you sleep like a dead man." He chuckled. "You snore, too. Puck wanted to carry you into the shower and turn the cold water on you to get revenge, but I talked him out of it, then Mike and Sam diverted him by offering to spring for breakfast. Most of the others headed out with them, but Mercedes, Rachel, Tina and I stuck around to wait for you."

While his friend talked, Kurt had carefully turned over and managed to extricate himself from Rachel's grasp. She had snuffled and grumbled in her sleep before rolling the other way. Kurt scrubbed a hand through his hair, wincing when he felt how wildly it was sticking up, and rubbed the grit out of his eyes. "Thanks for saving me. From Puck, I mean. I didn't mean to sleep so hard. I usually wake up around seven, even on weekends." He ran his tongue over his teeth, grimacing at how nasty they felt. Caught up in the entertainment of the party, he had forgotten to brush them last night. "Sorry about the snoring, too. I'm pretty sure that's not normal for me."

"You weren't the only one," Tina chimed in, smiling brightly as she walked in the room carrying a steaming mug, which she kindly handed to her bleary-eyed guest. "I think everyone finally crashed around 4am, and it was pretty noisy in here by the time I drifted off."

Kurt nodded, taking a grateful sip from the coffee she had given him. It was just the way he liked it. "You're a goddess," he told her, making her grin even wider. The caffeine started working and he began to feel a little bit more alive. "So, if everyone went to breakfast does that mean Finn took my car?"

Perhaps it was the mention of Finn's name or perhaps it was the loss of her human teddy bear, but Rachel suddenly woke with a loud snort, sitting upright so fast that her tangled hair flopped over her face. Clawing it back, she stared at them wild-eyed and blurted, "I have the perfect song for Sectionals!"

Everybody cracked up. Mercedes had followed Tina in from the kitchen, carrying a cup of her own, but she handed it down to Rachel without a word. "Drink that," she ordered. "It sounds like you need it worse than I do, considering that Sectionals was last month!"

Rachel blinked, took a sip and made a face, quickly handing the cup back to Mercedes. "Ugh, that is _disgusting_!"

"Let me guess. A cup of sugar with coffee extract?" Kurt asked, smirking knowingly at his best friend, who stuck her tongue out and drained a large swallow of her newly reclaimed beverage.

"How can you drink that?" Rachel demanded, scraping her tongue against the edge of her teeth over and over in an attempt to get rid of the super-sweet taste. Suddenly, she noticed that she was sitting so close to Kurt that their hips were pressing together and blushed, scooting back a bit. "Sorry."

He smiled. "No problem. I'm just glad to know that I'm not the only person who slept late. And I notice nobody answered my question. Does Finn have my car?"

Mercedes plunked down on the floor next to Kurt, looping her arm through his. "Yeah, he made me promise I wouldn't let you kill him when you found out. I brought Quinn and Brittany in with me last night, so Finn offered to give them a ride home before he comes back from breakfast. Everyone else took their own cars."

Kurt nodded and slurped up some more coffee. "Figured."

"You're not mad?" Tina asked in surprise. "Finn thought you'd be furious."

"I trust him with my baby," he said, then smirked. "Just don't tell him that. He's a lot more careful when he thinks he's risking a freak out and some kind of dire revenge."

The girls all laughed. Artie just shook his head. "Considering the easy access you have to all of his stuff, I can't really blame him for worrying."

Kurt waved away the comment. "He's perfectly safe from me as long as he doesn't spill food on the upholstery or scratch her up. So, anyone have any plans for this beautiful school-free Monday?"

"Mr. Schuester is taking our donations over to the McKinney-Vento youth shelter this afternoon," Rachel chirped, jumping out of her blankets and flashing a blazing smile, having gone from dead sleep to full energy wakefulness in about 8.5 seconds. Kurt stared up at her in awe as she clasped her hands and nearly bounced in place as she continued, "Some of us have volunteered to join him and put on an impromptu musical extravaganza, bringing some much needed holiday cheer into the lives of our poor, music-challenged peers."

"The _impromptu_ performance that she's been practicing solos for over the last ten days," Mercedes muttered darkly. Then she brightened. "We're taking food and toys over too, though. It should be pretty great. You want to join us?"

Kurt beamed and hugged her arm. "I'd love to, if nobody would mind."

"The more the merrier," Artie said, grinning brightly. "We're due over at two o'clock, though, so you'd better get up and moving if you want to come."

Tina smiled, tossing her green and red streaked tresses over her shoulders. Addressing both Kurt and Rachel, she said, "We're going to get started on making sugar cookies to take to the shelter with us. Help yourselves to showers. The water should be hot again by now, and my parents are out for the day, so both of the bathrooms are free. There're loads of leftovers from the party if you want to stick around and help bake instead of going out for food."

Kurt extricated himself from his sleeping bag and stood, fussing his wrinkled pajamas into place, then grabbing his small suitcase from where it rested against a wall. Kissing Tina's cheek, he handed her his now empty coffee cup and said, "You had me at cookies."

~#~#~#~#~#~

An hour later, the Cohen-Chang kitchen was a hive of activity. Laughter and conversation rang through the air as the six teens – Finn having returned from his errand - mixed and rolled cookie dough, cut them out in festive shapes and took baking sheets in and out of the hot oven. Artie and Finn had been put in charge of setting the finished cookies out on the waxed paper covered dining room table and getting them ready to decorate, everyone reminding Finn at least once that the cookies were for the shelter and not for him to eat.

Half a dozen managed to find their way inside his belly anyway.

Watching his step-brother laugh and joke with Artie, Kurt took the opportunity of being alone with Rachel while they waited for the other two girls to mix up a new batch of dough to ask her, "Any progress on getting back together with Finn?"

She looked startled and then sad. "No, he still won't forgive me. I've tried everything. Apologies, songs, the spirit of the holidays, everything! I guess we're just not meant to be."

Rachel looked as though she might cry and Kurt could not resist pulling her into a supportive hug, ignoring the flour that was sprinkled down her front since they were both protected by large aprons. "He'll come around. He loves you, you know."

She sniffled. "I wish I could be sure of that. Why can't he just let it go, Kurt? I mean, I forgave him for sleeping with Santana and then lying to me about it."

"He shouldn't have lied," Kurt agreed, stepping back and taking a seat on the edge of a handy kitchen stool, "but I think he was embarrassed. He told me once that he wished he hadn't, because it didn't mean anything to him. In Finn's mind, not admitting it was probably the easiest way to pretend to himself that it hadn't actually happened."

"That's exactly why I forgave him. He was probably trying to protect my feelings by not telling me that he could get someone hotter any time he wanted," she muttered, crossing her arms and avoiding Kurt's gaze.

Kurt stared at her. "Is that what you think? That Santana is hotter – which, by the way, I disagree with – and therefore she must be more attractive to your boyfriend than you are? That isn't giving Finn much credit."

She looked up, a startled look in her big brown eyes. "What do you mean?"

"He was into you, even when he was still seeing Quinn, remember?" Kurt reminded her, a trifle testily. "He didn't cheat on Quinn to be with another cheerleader and he didn't cheat on you. You were dating Jesse when that fiasco happened. Finn was probably trying to move on, but it turned out to be a huge mistake and he was ashamed of it."

Her smile was a little shy. "You really think that he was more into me than her, even then?"

"I know he was," he said, bored with her lingering self-doubt. How could Rachel be so pushy and egotistical when it came to music, which affected everyone, and so unsure of herself when it came to love that was blindingly obvious to everyone else? "What I'm getting at is that using Puck against Finn was an entirely inappropriate way to get back at Finn for what he did, since he wasn't actually with you when he slept with Santana. Why did you do it, Rachel?"

She hung her head again. "I just wanted to hurt him as much as I was hurting."

Kurt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you even realize how petty that was? How cruel it is throw someone's worst mistake back in his face every time you want something? Because, I do. Finn has reminded me on an annoyingly frequent basis that I made a complete idiot out of myself last year by pining after him and trying to coax him into loving me. I've noticed that how severely my seduction attempt offended him seems to change according to how guilty he wants me to feel, and how much he wants me to do something for him."

"But-"

He cut her off. "This isn't about me. I know, I'm just trying to show you that I understand. Puck was Finn's best friend for years. When he and Quinn slept together, they _both_ cheated on Finn. I think sleeping with Santana, who is Puck's girlfriend on and off, may have felt like necessary revenge to all parties, and it allowed them to move on, as twisted as that seems to the rest of us. You deliberately hit Finn at his most vulnerable point, trying to use his best friend against him for the second time, just because you were having self-esteem issues."

Rachel had started crying and this time, Kurt steeled himself against offering comfort.

"I know what it feels like to be in love with someone who doesn't return your feelings. To be shunned because somebody else, _anybody else_, is better than you. I know how much that hurts, Rachel. I do have sympathy for how you were feeling at the time, but you have to realize also that even when I was at my most delusional when it came to Finn, I never intentionally tried to hurt him just to make myself feel better. I loved him more than I loved myself, and that's how I was finally able to let those dreams go and allow our relationship to evolve into real friendship. He may not love me, but deep down he's never had any reason to doubt me. That's what you need to earn his forgiveness for, Rachel. He loves you but he needs to know that he can trust you again."

She sniffled and wiped her eyes on the hem of her apron. "How?"

"It won't be easy, but I suggest that you back off and give him time to work things through on his own. Be there for him if he needs someone to lean on, but stop pushing him to do what you want. I can't guarantee that you'll get your fairy-tale ending, but maybe you'll at least have a chance to earn his friendship back."

Feeling that he had made his point, Kurt patted her on the shoulder and moved away, slipping on a pair of oven mitts just as the timer dinged to let them know that the latest batch of cookies was ready.

"I know what you two were talking about," Mercedes muttered quietly, glancing back at Rachel, who was now starting out the kitchen window with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Do you think it will do any good?"

Kurt studied Rachel for a moment, noticing that her slumped shoulders had squared and her chin raised from her chest. He smiled. He would never say so out loud, but he and Rachel really were a lot alike. He had just talked to her the way he wished somebody had talked to him last year. "I think it just might."

He carried the tray of hot cookies out to the dining room and passed it over, retrieving one of the empties from Artie. Feeling Finn's eyes on him, he looked up and smiled.

"Thanks, man," Finn said, in a slightly husky tone that startled Kurt. "I heard you and Rachel talking just now."

Kurt scratched his nose ruefully. He really needed to work on his espionage skills. Apparently spying on rival schools and conducting clandestine peace talks between feuding couples were both beyond his powers. "No guarantees," he said lightly. "I still haven't heard your side, so I may have been way off base."

"No, you weren't," he said firmly. "Not about any of it. Including the fact that I shouldn't have used last year against you. That wasn't cool."

He nodded, accepting the tacit apology. "Ears like a freaking bat," he mumbled to himself as he walked back into the kitchen.

Happily, that was the last anyone spoke of such uncomfortable matters. As soon as the last batch of cookies was cool, they had a decorating party, applying frosting, colored sugar sprinkles and tiny candy decorations to their supply. Only about a dozen cookies were sacrificed to the needs of the workforce and by the time they were ready to leave for the youth shelter, there were more than enough beautifully decorated sugar cookies to present to the kids and other volunteers.

Caroling loudly and merrily, the teenagers cleaned up Tina's house and packed everything, including themselves, into Kurt's SUV. He would bring Mercedes and Tina back later so Mercedes could pick up her car.

Tina climbed into the back row of seats next to Artie as Finn helped him out of his wheelchair and onto one of the bench seats. Mercedes took shotgun next to Kurt, leaving Finn and Rachel sharing the middle row. For the first time since their breakup, things were not entirely unfriendly between Finn and Rachel. They were not yet ready to hold hands and cuddle, but Rachel was no longer trying to force the issue, and Finn was no longer sitting as far away from her as humanly possible and trying to avoid looking at her. The two of them just exchanged a cordial nod and allowed the festive holiday mood of the others to draw them out and keep the tension at a minimum.

Watching them in the rearview mirror, Kurt exchanged a smile with Mercedes. It wasn't a perfect situation, but it was a start.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hi, Mr. Shue."

Will Schuester looked up from the assortment of toys and gifts that he had been going through with a couple of volunteer workers and smiled, his eyes lighting up with surprise as he recognized, "Kurt! I didn't know you were back in Lima. It's so good to see you!"

The teacher laughed and gave his former student a hearty embrace, which Kurt returned one-armed, trying not to drop the two full boxes of cookies he held balanced in his other hand. "It's good to see you, too. I just got back on Saturday," he said, pulling back with a bright smile. "Finn and the others invited me to come along and help out today. I thought it sounded like fun, so here I am!"

"Terrific!" he said, beaming. "In fact, if you feel up to a little singing, we're down to nine people from our usual twelve today, so we could really use another voice. Here, let me help you with those."

Taking one of the boxes, he led the way over to a volunteer table, already brimming with an assortment of snacks. Happily, nobody else had brought frosted sugar cookies, so this new offering was sure to be a welcome addition.

"Who's not coming today?" Kurt asked, looking around to the other singers, who were also placing boxes along the table.

Artie answered the question as Finn wheeled him up to join the rest. "Didn't anyone tell you? Miss Sylvester drafted the Cheerios at the last minute into performing for some kind of adult care facility."

Finn shook his head. "I really can't imagine Sue Sylvester volunteering to do charity work."

He shrugged. "All I'm telling you is what Brittany told me."

"It's probably a Christmas gift for her sister," Kurt said without thinking. Most of his companions looked confused and Kurt said, "You've heard her talk about growing up with a handi-capable sister, haven't you? Mr. Shue, I know you have."

"I have," he agreed, looking a bit startled. "I guess I just never really thought about it."

Mercedes chimed in, "I was still with the Cheerios when she made us perform for them last April, for her sister's birthday. It was actually a lot of fun. The residents were really into it, especially the other Miss Sylvester. I guess she really loves cheerleading and that Sue will do pretty much anything for her. It's really sweet."

The all looked a looked a little mind-blown by the idea of Sue Sylvester even being in the same time zone with 'sweet', causing Kurt and Mercedes to exchange a grin.

Shue closed his eyes and shook his head, clearly struggling to get his mind around the notion. "Well, whatever the reason, we're expecting Puck, Mike, Sam and Lauren any time now, but we're still down to five guys and four girls for today's performance."

Kurt smiled. "So, in other words, you need an honorary girl to even things out."

The teacher chuckled. "I wouldn't say that, but if you wouldn't mind, we could really use your voice." Kurt nodded amiably and Shue clapped his hands together briskly. "Great! Let me run you through the numbers real quick, then."

Surprising him, Rachel grabbed Kurt's arm in a friendly hug. "I'll help you. You'll be singing a duet of 'O Holy Night' with me and I need to make sure you know all the cues."

As Rachel and Shue marched the bemused counter-tenor away, the remaining four New Directions looked at each other in shock. "Did she just say duet?" Tina asked incredulously. "As in, voluntarily giving up half a solo?"

Artie looked up at Mercedes. "Maybe it was all that sugar she had this morning."

"Or maybe we're all still sleeping," Mercedes theorized. She reached over and pinched Finn, who yelped and grabbed his offended posterior, making the girl grin wickedly. "Nope, guess we're awake."

He glared at her, the expression having no effect other than to make everyone laugh.

Tina smiled. "I guess Rachel is just really grateful for whatever advice Kurt gave her this morning," she said, looking pointedly at Finn. "Did he give you any?"

"Not really," Finn said, staring after his departed brother and ex-girlfriend, "but I think I got the point anyway. Kurt's really good at giving advice without quite making it sound like he's telling you what to do. I never noticed until I saw the way he handles his dad."

"So what are you going to do?" Artie asked curiously.

Finn decided, "Nothing. I want to see if he's right and we can learn to be just friends again for a while. I think I've had enough girlfriend drama for now."

He was surprised when Mercedes wrapped a friendly arm around his waist. "Welcome to the single life, white boy."

Finn smiled, realizing for perhaps the first time that Mercedes was the only member of New Directions who was not dating anyone. At least, now that Kurt was gone. She had gone out with one of the guys from the football team a few times, but they had never really hit it off and had parted amicably. He hugged her back. "Kurt and Rachel seem kind of cozy all of a sudden," he commented. "Maybe you and I should become best friends and freak 'em both out."

Her warm, infectious laughter rang through the frosty winter air. "I like the way you think!"

Seeing Rachel frantically gesturing to them, the four teens quickly set up the rest of the food they had brought and hurried over to start warming up. Puck, Sam, Mike and Lauren arrived in short order and arranged themselves according to Mr. Schuester's preference. After a few minutes running scales and warming exercises, the teacher smiled at them all and asked, "You guys ready?"

Heads nodded and smiles instantly appeared on every face. They lined up in two rows on a set of portable risers that had been set up next to a large, festively decorated Christmas tree, Finn taking a spot in the back row, center, between Kurt and Lauren Zizes. In spite of her strongly maintained belief that Show Choir was stupid, Lauren had not missed a single New Directions practice or performance. She had a very nice mid-range alto, not showy but very solid, and had picked up quickly on all of the group choreography. Finn smiled cheerfully at her and she actually deigned to smile back . . . or at least he was pretty sure that's what the sarcastic twist of her brightly glossed lips was supposed to mean.

He flashed another smile at Kurt, who grinned back with a happy light in his eyes that Finn had not seen in a long time. Kurt was a New Direction again, if only for today, and it was clear that he was ready to make the most of it for however long it lasted.

Mr. Schuester introduced them to the gathering crowd of spectators, the majority of whom where children, and received a polite round of applause as the group began singing, "Last Christmas". This was a song they had practiced last year so Kurt had no problem keeping up with his part, and thanks to his earlier actions, Finn did not mind holding hands and singing the lead vocals with Rachel. His former girlfriend looked so happy that he could not resist giving her a smile before the choreography parted them again.

The crowd applauded more enthusiastically this time and then Mercedes and Artie took center stage to sing lead for a mashup of, "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Kurt had not been present for the staging of this number, which had been arranged in four-part harmony on the backing vocal. For a moment, Finn worried that Kurt would get lost but felt proud of his cool little step-bro when Kurt just followed the example of Mike Chang, who was directly in front of him, to figure out the dancing and faked his way through the background vocals with a little bit of slightly-too-loud help from Sam.

As Mercedes wailed spectacularly on the final note, the listeners burst into honest cheers and the singers grinned happily at one another. The girls did a lovely rendition of, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", with Mercedes filling in for the solo part usually sung by Santana, then the guys took over with a rocked-out version of, "Jingle Bells" that the crowd really seemed into. Mr. Schuester had run Kurt through the latter number a couple of times prior to the performance, so he was able to keep up without much difficulty, smiling brightly and clearly enjoying the number.

Shue then invited everyone in the audience to sing along with a medley of classic Christmas carols; sending most of his group down to join in and help people along while Tina and Sam led the carols from their place on the risers.

For a moment, Kurt hesitated as everyone dashed down to take their places, not sure where he was supposed to go. Then he shrugged and trotted over to join a group of 8-12 year old little girls who were enthusiastically gesturing for him to come over. The girls herded him into their midst as the caroling began, crowding against him a bit more tightly than necessary. More than one girl was looking up at Kurt with an amusingly adoring expression and Finn was having a hard time singing as he tried not to laugh at the uncertain smile on Kurt's face as he stood there being blatantly crushed on by a pack of pre-adolescent females.

When the medley ended and the crowd was applauding, New Directions retook their place on stage and Finn could not hold his laughter back any longer when he saw Kurt bolt toward the safety of the risers. "Way to go, Kurt," he whispered, giggling softly. "You're a rock star!"

"Oh, shut up," he whispered back, unable to keep from blushing as an embarrassed grin flickered over his face.

Mr. Shue and Mike Chang took over the spotlight for a few minutes, doing a comedic dance with much exaggerated skulking and showing off that had the audience in stitches while Tina and Puck handled the lyrics to, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."

A few more songs had the audience smiling and swaying, then Rachel stepped forward, holding her hand out and smiling as Kurt moved down to join her. The rest of the group provided a soft acapella background harmony as the two of them performed a heart-achingly beautiful duet of, "O Holy Night" that sounded so much better than the original solo version that Rachel had been practicing that Finn could not believe it. For a moment, he was a little weirded out by the irony of a Jewish girl and an Atheist boy singing such a blatantly Christian song, but as they sang he forgot all about it and just enjoyed the magic of their combined voices. He loved Rachel's sound but something about the addition of Kurt's gentle but powerful high notes – he was singing about a half-octave above the range Rachel had chosen – made her sound even better. Alone, each of them had a terrific voice. Together, they were simply amazing.

The crowd clearly thought so as well. There was almost total silence as the song was performed, broken only by the occasional sound of sniffling, and when they finished; the applause was so sudden and enthusiastic that the two lead singers actually jumped. Naturally, they recovered quickly, bowing and smiling proudly like the true divas that they both were until a laughing Will Schuester pulled them back onto the risers and wished the audience a very happy holiday on behalf of New Directions.

The group finished their concert with a rousing rendition of, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Compliments and enthusiastic holiday wishes were showered upon the ten teenagers and their advisor as they stepped down from the stage and took places along the food and gift tables, helping the other volunteers to hand out gifts and refreshments to one and all. They laughed and smiled and thanked everyone.

Finally, the line was gone and the volunteers themselves were able to fill up their plates and retreat to a set of picnic tables that had been reserved for them.

"That was so much fun," Kurt commented, taking a seat at the end of one row between Finn and Artie. He sighed. "It really reminded me of how much I miss you guys."

"That feeling is definitely mutual," Artie told him with a sad smile. Then it got warmer again as he said, "But having you up there with us today was great."

Across the table, munching enthusiastically on a handful of chips, Puck garbled, "Almost forgot what we sounded like with all dudes present and accounted for. We kicked old Santa's ass today."

Knowing that was as close to a sentimental moment as he would ever get with Puck, Kurt just laughed. "Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."

On Finn's opposite side, Mercedes nudged him and winked. "Hey, Finn. We still on for shopping later this week?"

Catching on, he bumped her back. "Totally! And a trip to the ice cream shop afterward is on me. You know they just got in that pink peppermint kind you love so much."

"Oh, we are on tomorrow, boyfriend," she giggled.

Kurt was staring at them in open-mouthed shock. "You're going shopping?" he asked, his voice going high with disbelief on the final word. "And for pink peppermint ice cream? Together? Without me?"

Peppermint was his favorite out of the specialty flavors that their favorite shop brought in especially for the holidays.

They looked back at him, blinking innocently. Finn immediately felt bad, seeing the genuinely hurt expression in Kurt's blue eyes. He just couldn't go through with it. "I can't let you go shopping with us, because I need to buy your gift and Mercedes is going to give me advice. The ice cream is a thank you for helping me. I can bring you back some, though!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "So much for you wanting to mess with Kurt's mind."

Kurt looked at them both suspiciously. "What?"

"We were going to try and convince you that we'd become BFF since you left. It seemed only fair now that you and Rachel have become so chummy." There was a slightly hollow sound to her laughter and Finn could tell that he was not the only person who had noticed.

Kurt's belligerent expression faded into one of concern and he immediately swung his legs over the picnic bench and moved past Finn to give Mercedes a hug from behind. "You know you're still my girl," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her tightly and kissing her on the cheek. "A few miles, another school, and a few new friendships aren't going to change that. You're my best friend, Mercedes and nobody is ever going to take your place."

He spoke quietly enough that nobody could hear him except Mercedes and, due to his proximity and unusually excellent hearing, Finn. They got a few curious glances and tender smiles when Mercedes let go a teary laugh and turned around and gave Kurt a rib crushing hug, but no one asked. Finn smiled at them. Apparently he had not been the only person to notice how put out their friend had been over Kurt's new closeness with Rachel. Even Rachel was warmly beaming at the pair as they finally separated.

Feeling the need to break the moment, Finn loudly asked Mike, at the other end of the table, about his upcoming holiday plans and soon the entire table was alive with laughter and conversation again. Finn did not mind at all when Kurt asked him to scoot over and sat down between him and Mercedes, chatting with their friends and keeping one arm wrapped securely around his best friend's shoulders as she leaned against him and smiled happily.


	7. Chapter 7

The week passed by in a blur of activity for Kurt.

On Monday night, he decorated the family Christmas tree with Finn, Carole and Dad, everybody indulging in hot chocolate and leftover sugar cookies as they worked.

Adding the Hudson ornaments to the usual mix did not caused any difficulties. Kurt's love of fashionable things did not extend to specifically themed Christmas trees. On the contrary, the more colorful, fun and delightfully mismatched the ornaments were, the better he liked the overall appearance. The tree just would not be complete without his mother's glass angels, the sleigh mechanic elves in red and green coveralls that he had given his dad when he was ten, the tiny candle wax lamb that had been Kurt's favorite ornament since he was a baby, the cute little Hallmark ornaments that his grandmother sent every year without fail. Finn's football player Santa Claus, Carole's miniature toy shop, the late Christopher Hudson's wooden rocking horse, and all of the other family decorations collected over the years just made the tree even better.

They had all declared the finished product a masterpiece.

On Tuesday, Kurt spent the entire day with the New Direction girls enjoying another round of holiday shopping, which naturally ended in manicures and facials at Kurt's favorite salon followed by dinner at Breadstix and lattes to go.

Wednesday, Kurt had the house to himself after Finn went to meet Puck and Mike and their parents went to work, so he indulged in a frenzy of cooking and baking while the stereo blasted with holiday music and he busily wrapped all of his gift purchases up in festive paper, ribbons and bows and placed them under the Christmas tree.

The entire family was delighted with the result of his personal holiday extravaganza when they came home to pot roast with all of the trimmings, three different kinds of holiday bread, candy, more cookies and a pan full of bourbon balls – his grandmother's secret recipe. Burt looked a little dubious over that last item but Kurt assured him that there had been no personal sampling of the ingredients.

On Thursday, Burt left the garage early and picked up his son to show off the new house he and Carole wanted to buy. Kurt was thrilled to have a little one on one time with his dad. He loved his new stepmother very much, but part of him could not help longing for the time when it had been just the two of them. Carole seemed to understand this even better than her husband did, for it had been her suggestion that they do this.

"I miss this," he ventured as his dad's truck glided along the quiet, snow-filled streets of Lima. The weather had grown colder as the week progressed and snow had started falling on Tuesday evening, giving the area a six inch coat of white for the holidays. The streets had been quickly cleared but periodic cloudbursts over the next two days had kept the area a winter wonderland. Burt cocked a curious eyebrow and Kurt elaborated, "Spending time together, just you and me. Not that Carole and Finn aren't great! It's just…"

Burt smiled and reached over to grip the back of his neck in a familiar pseudo-hug. "I know what you mean. It was just the two of us for a really long time, wasn't it? I've missed you, too."

He nodded, grateful that he did not have to explain. "Funny thing is I never would have agreed to transfer to Dalton, no matter what it meant for me, if it wasn't for knowing you had them. I'd have hated the idea of you being all alone."

"You never have been able to accept which one of us is the parent in this relationship." His father chuckled when Kurt ducked his head. "I can't say that I disagree, though. If we didn't have them, I still would have transferred you to a different school but I'd have packed up and moved right along with you."

Surprised, he said, "You would?"

"Of course I would. Are you kidding?" he scolded. "You're my son, Kurt. There's nothing more important to me than your safety and happiness. You think I don't worry about how you're getting along at that school, not being able to come home every day or pop into the garage any time you need to talk to me about something? It drives me nuts, especially since I get the idea you're not totally happy with that place."

Kurt's mouth fell open a little. "How did you . . . ? I mean, it's fine. I am happy."

He snorted. "Nice try, kid. You hate those uniforms, and curfews, and required dead languages and that stick up the butt glee club they have over there."

Kurt stared at him in shock. "I . . . I don't hate the Warblers, Dad."

"But you don't love 'em like you did your old club," he confirmed, nodding at Kurt's expression. "Tell me the truth, Kurt. Did I do the right thing by you? Sending you to Dalton?"

Realizing that his father was genuinely worried about the wisdom of his decision, and whether he had traded his son's happiness for the sake of his safety, Kurt's felt his heart swell. "You did the only thing you could," he replied truthfully. "I'm still adjusting to the new order of things and, yes, it's true that I don't love everything about Dalton, but I didn't love everything about McKinley either. In fact, there was a lot about it that I didn't like at all. I miss my friends in Glee, but the last few days have proven to me that I haven't lost them, and I'm making new friends."

"Yeah?" he said, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Real friends, or just boyfriends like that kid Brian?"

"Blaine," he corrected, feeling his face heat up, "and he's not my boyfriend."

Burt's eyes twinkled. "Not yet."

"Dad!" he protested, smacking his teasing father on the arm.

"Hey! I'm driving here," he protested, laughter giving lie to the indignant words. "Seriously, though. You like this kid?"

Kurt studied his face, more than a little surprised that he did not seem upset with the idea. A year ago, the very mention of Kurt feeling romantic towards another boy had been enough to make him squirm with poorly hidden discomfort. Marriage was having a good effect on him, apparently.

Licking his lips a trifle nervously, Kurt admitted, "I really do. I'm just not sure he feels anything for me other than friendship. I'm afraid to say anything in case he doesn't but Finn thinks he's just waiting for me to make the first move. He says I should hit on Blaine."

To his further astonishment, his father actually laughed and said, "Maybe you should."

"_What_?"

"Why not?" Burt asked lightly. "You don't know how he feels and he doesn't know how you feel, and nobody's going anywhere until somebody releases the brake and takes the car out of park. Why shouldn't that somebody be you?"

Kurt blinked. "You don't think he'll be offended? If . . . if he doesn't like me back, I mean. I don't want to lose the first real friend I've made at my school."

"You told me this kid is gay, just like you, and he's already your friend. Why would it offend him to know that you think he's worth loving?" Burt asked reasonably. "I think he should be damned flattered that you're interested. As for you, I once told you that you'd have to go it alone until somebody as brave and open as you came along. If this guy fits the bill and you want to give him a chance, why shouldn't you go for it?"

A laugh that was filled with tears wrenched from Kurt. "I can't believe you actually said that. I've wanted to talk to you about this for a long time, but I was so sure you'd hate hearing it that I couldn't even bring myself to try."

Gliding his truck into a parking space along the curb on a quiet suburban street, Burt shut the engine off and turned to give his son undivided attention. His bluish-green eyes were serious and filled with a world of love as he reached out and gently caressed Kurt's cheek with his thumb.

"Kurt, I know it hasn't been easy for you these last couple of years. Growin' up and falling in love is hard enough without being gay and having everybody around you saying that the person you love is wrong. It hasn't been easy for either one of us to talk about this, but that's my fault, not yours. I was struggling and I'm not gonna lie about it, but you are who you are, and I love you for every bit of it. I want you to feel that you're able to talk to me about anything." He took a visibly deep breath and smiled. "And that includes guys, if that's what you need to talk about. Just know that if this Blaine character, or any other guy who comes along, doesn't treat you as good as you deserve, then I reserve the right to bury their bodies in a shallow grave."

The tears spilled over even as Kurt burst into laughter, unlatching his seat belt and throwing his arms around his father's neck. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, kid," he said indulgently, rubbing his back and then giving it a firm pat. "Now, you ready for the grand tour?"

Wiping his cheeks with both hands, Kurt looked out the window in surprise. "Is this it?"

The cute little two story, yellow-painted house beside them had a For Sale sign poking up from the snow covered front yard.

"This is the one. I called the Real Estate lady and asked her to let us in, so it should be open."

Eager to see the inside, Kurt quickly hopped out of the vehicle and jogged up the picturesque stone circles planted along the middle of the yard. Burt followed him at a slightly slower pace. The front door was indeed unlocked and as the Hummels entered the wide wood-floored entryway, a smiling red-haired woman in a festively red, skirted business suit hurried forward to meet them.

"Mr. Hummel, it's so nice to see you again!" she chirped. "And this must be Kurt."

He shook hands politely. "Nice to meet you, Miss Hathaway," he replied, reading the name tag pinned to her lapel.

Leaving his father to chat with the agent, Kurt silently requested and received permission to walk around the house on his own. He started at the bottom. Like their own, this house had a basement, but it had clearly been designed as a storage area rather than somewhere a person might choose to live. Open washer and dryer hookups were visible along one wall and someone had built wooden shelves onto the other side. The only illumination came from a set of three naked light bulbs dangling at regular intervals along the ceiling.

He shrugged, not impressed. It was serviceable but nothing special.

Going back upstairs, he checked out the kitchen and felt a little more pleased. The space was twice the size of the one at home and filled with cupboard and work space. A double sink, dishwasher, new gas range and a large side by side refrigerator/freezer were already installed. Kurt's eyes lit up when he realized that the small door to one side led to a separate pantry, built with shelves, storage boxes and cunning little hooks for brooms, dishpans and other necessary items.

The dining room was cozy but adequate. Living room, a bit smaller than he had expected but it would hold all of their furniture without any difficulty and it was also floored in the same smooth, polished hardwood as the entryway, which he liked very much. There was a half bathroom beside the staircase and another small room that was probably intended as an office or den.

Upstairs, Kurt found a full bath with a deep, old-fashioned tub that sent a thrill through his body. It was equipped with a separate shower stall, toilet, sink and plenty of room to move around in. That was good. He hated cramped bathrooms. Like the kitchen, it also had built in shelves and cupboards. He could easily picture his wide array of personal products lining those shelves.

The house had four bedrooms! A master suite with its own private bathroom, perfect for Dad and Carole, two decently sized second bedrooms where he could picture himself and Finn enjoying their own forms of independence, and another slightly smaller room that could function as a spare bedroom or maybe even a game room.

"Well, what do you think?" Burt asked, coming upstairs and smiling as he found Kurt standing in the middle of one of the bedrooms, looking around at the wide walk-in closet and large double-sided window with speculative eyes, his hands pressed to his lips.

"I like it," he decided. "The walls definitely need to be repainted and this carpeting looks like it's been here since Nixon was president, but I can work with it. I think we could all be really happy living here."

Burt nodded, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "I think so, too. So do Carole and Finn."

"Finn didn't already claim this room, did he?" he asked anxiously. The other bedroom had not suited his taste nearly as well as this one, in spite of the ugly carpeting.

"Nah, that closet pretty much volunteered this room as yours, all by itself," he chuckled.

Kurt grinned. His family knew him far too well. "Are you going to make an offer?"

"Yeah, I think we should. The timing would work out perfectly, in fact. I had a more than decent offer on our place just yesterday." Seeing Kurt's curious expression, he said, "Your friend Sam's parents."

"Really?" he said, eyes wide. "Sam didn't even mention that they were looking for a new place when I saw him on Monday."

Burt shrugged. "Apparently they've been renting since they moved to Lima last summer and they're looking for a permanent place. It's only the three of them, so our place should be a good fit."

He shook his head. Funny how things worked out. It was weird to think of Sam Evans living in his house, calling Kurt's basement bedroom his own, but it was also satisfying in a way to think that his home of the last twelve years was not going to be taken over by complete strangers. "Good for them," he said sincerely. "How long do you think it would take before we'd move?"

"It'll take a few weeks to get all the paperwork sorted out and finalized," Burt told him, "but with any luck, we'll have it all done by Valentine's Day."

Kurt nodded. Somehow, that seemed appropriate for a newlywed couple and their family. "Let's do it," he said.

When they got home, Kurt went to his basement, leaving his father to start dinner. His mind was reeling with all of the new things he had been given to think about today. As he sat in his swinging basket chair, pondering the changes to come, his phone buzzed.

Kurt picked up the phone and smiled. He had a text from Blaine reading, **Mele Kalikimaka**! Blaine had flown to Hawaii immediately after leaving school on Saturday, his family having gone to see his mother's side of the family. Kurt had thought he would be spending Christmas on the island, so the rest of the text caught him by surprise. **Back in snowy Ohio! Any point in driving down for the Lima Xmas Eve parade, or are you busy? Miss you – B**

A thrill went through Kurt from head to toes. Blaine was home, and he wanted to spend part of the holiday with him! The Lima Christmas parade was a little on the cheesy side, with local bands, floats put together by community businesses and a caravan of 'celebrities' like the mayor, a few news anchors and a Christmas Court made up of girls from the local middle schools and high schools, but it was a tradition that everybody indulged in. Kurt's family had already made plans to meet with Mercedes' family to see the fun but he did not think anyone would mind if he brought Blaine along.

Just to make sure, he called upstairs, "Dad?"

"Yeah, Kurt."

"I just got a text from Blaine. He wants to come down for the Christmas parade tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

There was a momentary pause, then Burt appeared at the top of the stairs. "You want to invite him?"

Kurt bit his lip nervously. "I'd really like to."

"In that case, I'd love to meet him." He gave Kurt a piercing look, one eyebrow rising. "Just remember what I said earlier. I own a jack-hammer, you know. A little frozen ground isn't gonna stop me if I need to bury that kid."

Relieved and elated, Kurt laughed. "Understood. Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, son," he said, giving him a smile as he moved away from the door.

Suddenly giddy with excitement, Kurt indulged himself in an energetic prance around the room, spinning and laughing, before throwing himself onto his bed and texting back. **Please do! My family is all going and I can't wait to see you! Can we rendezvous at the Starbucks on 4****th**** and Washington? Mercedes and family will be meeting us there.** He paused, hesitating over the keypad, then decided to let Finn and Dad's advice direct his actions and signed the message** Love – K.**

There was a long pause. Five minutes, ten, fifteen . . . making Kurt's stomach tie in nervous knots. Had he been too pushy? Too bold? Had the thought of meeting all those people put Blaine off the idea? Had Kurt caused him to have a panic attack and he was now trying to think of a polite way to back out?

Just as Kurt was about to give up, his phone buzzed again. He snatched it up anxiously and read the message, a grin spreading over his lips. **GPS set and ready to go! Can't wait to see you either. Okay if I bring mistletoe? – B. **

It was the sort of playful message that Blaine typically sent, the kind that had made Kurt so unsure if the other boy was serious or just offering a bit of friendly teasing, but he had to mean it this time. Nobody would respond to a message ending in the word 'Love' with a hint that they'd like to kiss the other person and not mean it. Would they?

How should he respond? Serious? Flirty? Maybe a mixture of the two would be best. He sent back, **Please do. I just stocked up on Chap Stick. ;) - K.**

No way Blaine could mistake that implication! He thrilled when another text appeared only seconds later. **Can't wait until tomorrow! See you soon – B.**

There had been no return use of the 'L' word, but Kurt was not dissatisfied. He had made a move and Blaine had responded favorably. For now, that was all he could ask for.

"I need to call Mercedes," he muttered to himself, his entire body suddenly teeming with jittery butterflies. "I don't even know what I'm going to wear!"


	8. Chapter 8

Finn sat back on his bed, legs extended, a bowl of popcorn in his hand, munching contentedly as he watched the amusing spectator sport that was Kurt Hummel in a fashion panic. Clothes littered every surface, including a surprisingly large pile that had been rejected on the basis of no longer fitting correctly following Kurt's latest growth spurt.

His brother had severely mourned several of those items, experimenting with hiding the too-short pants inside his beloved Doc Martin lace-up boots, and the high-rise shirt cuffs with layers of contrasting garments above and below. To Finn, the adjustments had looked perfectly acceptable. He never would have known the difference, but to Kurt's eyes the new look was all wrong and those clothes had been tossed in the reject pile, bound for his favorite designer resale shop after Christmas.

"What are you so nervous about?" Finn finally asked as Kurt flopped down on his bed and stared at the fashion maelstrom with calm despair. "You've got loads of clothes left, even without that stuff, and we're only going to the Christmas parade. You'll be outside, with your coat on. It's not like this guy Blaine is going to see, much less care, if your outfit isn't color coordinated or whatever."

Kurt looked at him as though he had just uttered a string of unexpected profanity, shocked and highly offended. "_I'll _care," he said flatly.

"Why?" Finn asked, sitting up and putting his snack aside. "You looked normal the first couple times you met him. I mean, no uniform or anything, and he didn't mind what you wore then. What's so special about this time?"

"It's Christmas. It's special. I mean, yes, he's seen me out of uniform before but at the time he and I weren't . . ." He paused, seeming to deflate as he let out a long deep sigh. "We still aren't, are we? I wanted to look extra-special tonight, because I thought it was kind of, well, _romantic_ that he volunteered to drive down just to spend a couple of hours with me during the holidays. But maybe you're right. He probably just didn't have anything better to do with his time and all that stuff about mistletoe was just teasing and I'm definitely reading _way _too much into a couple of text messages. Maybe he hasn't left home yet. I should message him back and cancel before it's too late."

Finn was startled by the spew of words and the sudden about-face in the confident excitement Kurt had been caught up in since yesterday, when he had gushed with adorable and (Finn knew Kurt would kill him if he expressed this thought) girlish enthusiasm over his upcoming semi-date with Blaine.

"Whoa, Kurt, hold on," he scolded, getting off his bed and crossing the room to snatch Kurt's phone out of his hand before he could do something he would regret. "I'm sure he's already on his way by now. It's too late to stop him. And don't try to put this on me if you want to chicken out, 'cause that's not what I think! Blaine wanting to spend Christmas Eve with you _is_ romantic. It's totally cheesy, chick-flick level romantic, and I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

"You think?" he asked, clearly wanting to believe it.

"Totally. If he likes you very much at all, he'll be stoked to see you, even if you show up in holey jeans and one of my football jerseys, just because you guys are together. That's how I always felt when I met Rachel someplace. It can't be any different for him just because you're both dudes, right?"

Kurt offered a weak smile. "Right. You're a pretty cool brother, Finn Hudson. You know that?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I know."

Kurt laughed a little. "I'm being stupid, I know that, but you haven't met Blaine. He's always so suave and dapper and smooth. It's not that he'll hold me to some impossible standard, but if I show up in just any old thing, I'll feel like I failed to meet it anyway." He gestured around the messy room. "Thus, the complete sartorial freak-out. And I still don't know what to wear."

"What did Mercedes suggest when you asked her?"

Kurt's soft, derisive snort made him laugh. "She was no help whatsoever. Everything she suggested was so last year that it wasn't even funny. Sometimes I think my taste and fashion influence has been completely lost on that girl."

Inspiration struck Finn like a bolt of lightning. His mom had always been firm about not peeking at the gifts before Christmas morning and that habit had ingrained itself in Finn early on, but maybe this year it was time to make an exception.

Holding up a finger to indicate that Kurt should wait a moment, he charged up the stairs so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet and raced to the pile of gifts under the Christmas tree. His mom had a three-day weekend from work for the holiday and her mouth gaped open in shock when she walked out of the kitchen to see her son digging eagerly through the pile of presents and making a triumphant noise as he pulled out a large gift box.

"Finn! What are you doing?"

"Oh, hey, Mom. Sorry, but I need to give Kurt his present a day early. Trust me, this is an emergency!"

Before she could say anything else, he thundered back down the stairs and flung the cheery Santa-paper-wrapped box at his brother. "Merry Christmas, dude!"

Kurt fumbled the projectile, not looking quite sure what to do with it. Pointing upstairs, he asked confusedly, "Is this some kind of a Hudson thing I haven't heard about? Should I . . .?"

"No, no, it's cool. I can wait until morning. In fact, Mom just gave a major stink-eye over grabbing this one early, but I had to. Open it up!"

After staring at him for a few more seconds, Kurt shrugged and slipped the band of ribbon off the box. Taking a moment to admire the gift tag which read, 'To the best bro a guy could have, from Finn', he started working on the taped edge of the paper.

Finn sat on Kurt's bed and wriggled impatiently. He should have known Kurt would be one of those people who unwrapped carefully and saved the paper. Finn was more of a rip and shred kind of person, himself. Fortunately, Kurt was quick and when he opened the box and folded back the tissue paper he gasped in amazement at the contents.

"So? What do you think?" Finn asked with a grin.

Kurt's fingers were shaking a little as he lifted out a pair of slim-fit black jeans and a thick, hand-knit, teal turtleneck sweater, the yarn so fluffy and soft beneath his fingertips that it was like petting a cloud. "It's beautiful, Finn," he replied, his voice faint. "It must have been terribly expensive, though. You shouldn't have."

"It wasn't all that much," he lied. In truth, the sweater was a one of a kind designer import and the price tag had nearly given him a heart attack when he saw it. "You know that Burt's been letting me work at his garage part time, and I haven't spent much so I had extra money for gifts this year. And don't worry, that stuff should fit you okay. I stole the shirt and slacks from that Dalton uniform you brought home and took them shopping with me the other day. I picked the sweater but Mercedes suggested the color. She said it was a good match for your eyes or something."

He grew a little worried when Kurt continued to gently pet the sweater without saying anything, then the other boy sniffled and Finn realized that he was struggling to hold back tears.

His face fell. "You don't like it?"

Kurt looked up, eyes shimmering but with a huge smile on his face. He set the box aside and threw his arms around Finn's neck. "I love it. Thank you, Finn."

He hugged back, happy but a little embarrassed by the reaction. "Try them on."

With a nod, Kurt took the gift and disappeared into the bathroom. When he emerged a few minutes later, smoothing the sweater down his slender form, Finn could not help but grin. The jeans fit tight without looking like they'd been painted onto his body and came all the way to the top of Kurt's feet, the way half his old pants could no longer manage. He had paired them with stylish black leather boots, and the teal sweater fit as though it had been custom made just for Kurt. The other boy's eyes sparkled with pleasure over his gift and Finn was interested to note that Mercedes had been totally right about the color.

Kurt turned in a circle and asked, "So, what do you think?"

"You look awesome. If that Blaine dude doesn't try to lay one on you tonight, he's been totally lying about playing for your team."

Kurt laughed, cheeks flushing with pleasure at the compliment. "Is it any wonder that you were my first crush? You always know just the right thing to say."

Finn laughed along with him. There had been a time when he would have been totally weirded out by a comment like that, but he had done some growing up since their parents' wedding and now it never even occurred to him to be concerned by the joke. They were bro's and it was totally okay.

Just to kill some time, the two of them worked together to put Kurt's clothing tornado back into the appropriate closet and drawer spaces, all of the too-small items being folded carefully into bags for later disposal.

"So, you mentioned Rachel earlier. Any progress on that front?" Kurt asked after a while, trying to pretend that he was not checking the clock on his nightstand every couple of minutes, counting down the time until they would leave for the parade.

"Nah. She's left me pretty much alone since you talked to her," Finn reported. "It's weird, but at least I don't feel like I'm being hunted anymore. I think I'm actually starting to kind of miss her."

Kurt smiled. "Well, that's good, right? Maybe it means you aren't as upset with her as you thought."

He shrugged. "I still get mad when I think about her with Puck."

"You probably always will, at least a little," Kurt suggested, "but I'm not sure it's fair to hate her forever over a single bad decision. You've made your share of mistakes, Finn. We all have. Remember that horrible slut makeover I gave her last year when she was trying to impress you?"

Finn smiled at the memory of Rachel in her sad clown hooker get-up. "You did that?"

"She didn't tell you?" he asked in surprise. Then he blushed. "Probably just as well. That wasn't one of my finer moments, as a fashionista or a friend."

Biting his lip, Finn considered the matter, retrieving his popcorn and offering some to Kurt. Surprisingly, he accepted, nibbling the snack one kernel at a time with the delicacy of a chipmunk. Finn, by contrast, devoured his corn by the handful as he thought. "I guess . . . it would be kind of hypothetical to hold a mistake against her."

"Hypocritical," Kurt corrected, sneaking a few more pieces of popcorn from the bowl.

Finn nodded. "And it _would_ be a shame to have nobody to kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve," he ventured.

Kurt smiled at him. "That's always been my opinion." His eyes twinkled. "Who knows, all being well, maybe we'll both get a shot at it this year."

"That's the spirit," Finn told him, trying not to think too much about Kurt kissing dudes. He liked the idea of his brother having somebody to love. (That was not himself.) He just wasn't quite sure he wanted to watch them make out. Though, to be fair, Kurt probably hadn't enjoyed the sight of him making out with girls much either. He glanced at the clock. "Looks like it's probably about time to get going."

Kurt sprang up from his bed comically fast, gathering his phone, wallet and keys (he had offered to drive tonight) and bolting up the stairs before Finn could even grab his brand new Letteman jacket - a replacement for the one Karofsky and Azimio had ruined - off the bed.

Finn chuckled as he followed the other boy upstairs at a more normal pace. Once Kurt got things settled with Blaine and calmed down a little, Finn was going to have _so_ much ammo to tease him with.


	9. Chapter 9

It was probably a good thing that he had been driving with his entire family in the car, Kurt reflected as he eased his SUV into a parking space several blocks over from the parade route. Otherwise the giddy anticipation singing through his veins would almost certainly have had him breaking speeding laws all the way into town.

As everyone exited the vehicle, Kurt smoothed the lapels of his black Burberry Brit peacoat and put on his black and gray fleece-lined gloves. The coat was warm and more importantly, it showed off the high collar and intricate knit pattern of his new sweater to perfection. A jaunty black newsboy cap and a cashmere scarf in the same shade of pearl-gray as his gloves and Kurt knew that he cut quite a handsome figure.

His hope was that Blaine would appreciate his effort, without actually realizing he had made one.

Kurt smiled, remembering how confused Finn had looked when he had said that. The smile grew as he watched his new brother actually bouncing in place with anticipation of the upcoming parade, exhibiting all the pleasure and excitement of a small child.

He reached up and settled the collar of his sweater again, unable to believe how generous and amazingly thoughtful Finn's gift had been. He never would have guessed that Finn knew him well enough to be able to choose such a perfect item. Just looking at the tall, happily smiling boy made his heart practically burst with affection. It was all he could do not to hug him again, but he resisted the urge, knowing that Finn would not understand why, or know how much better the warm, _real_, brotherly love they now shared felt compared to the naively romantic but ultimately empty dreams Kurt had once cherished.

As Finn charged ahead, yelling that he wanted to find a good spot for them all, Burt and Carole just chuckled indulgently. They each linked an arm through one of Kurt's and he happily strolled along the two blocks to Washington Street in their company.

Starbucks was bustling with business, a lot of people having apparently chosen to meet here. Kurt glanced through the window searching for Mercedes. He did not see her, but his heart started pounding hard when he spotted Blaine sitting alone at a small table sipping on a drink. The other boy looked up and smiled as they walked into the shop, causing the little bell over the door to chime merrily. He rose from his seat at once as they moved closer, causing his long navy trench coat to part, revealing a festive outfit underneath.

Kurt felt a little faint as he took in the other boy's appearance. Blaine wore dark sneakers and deliciously well fitted blue jeans, topped by a white, collared shirt and a dark red v-necked sweater. A jaunty – and slightly tacky if Kurt were being entirely honest with himself – red and green holiday bow tie completed the ensemble. His hair had been left loose and curly and Kurt could not help but smile at the sight of it. Blaine hardly ever let his natural curl loose at school, even on weekends, and it gave him a casually sexy appearance that Kurt envied a little.

"Kurt!" he said happily, shaking his friend's hand with both of his own, then pulling him into a quick embrace. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," he returned automatically, wanting to kick himself for how breathless he sounded. "I'm so glad you were able to come down, Blaine. I had no idea you'd be back for the holiday, much less able to come all the way to Lima for Christmas Eve."

He laughed. "My mom can only take so much of her family, even at Christmastime, so we did all our celebrating with them a few days early and then flew back to spend the actual holiday at home. And before you ask, my parents didn't mind me coming here at all. They've been hearing me gush about you for the last five days and I think they just couldn't take any more and wanted to get rid of me for a few hours." He laughed again, brightly, clearly not serious in his description. Flashing a smile at the amused looking adults behind Kurt, he said, "Hello."

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot that you guys haven't met yet," Kurt apologized, blushing furiously. "Blaine, these are my parents; my dad, Burt and my step-mom, Carole."

Burt shook hands cordially but Carole wasted no time on formalities, giving the surprised young man a quick hug. "Blaine, we feel like we know you already," she said, eyes twinkling. "For the same reason your parents probably feel that they know Kurt."

"Well, that's nice to hear," he said, smiling with an unexpected hint of shyness that sent a flurry of butterflies charging through Kurt's stomach. Gesturing at the table, he offered, "May I order you something to drink? It's no trouble," he added, seeing the polite declines forming on their faces.

Knowing by now that the knee-jerk, generous host reaction was how Blaine dealt with any situation where he felt nervous and that he could probably buy the entire town a round and not sweat the cost, Kurt accepted, "That would be lovely, thank you. Would it be all right if we order something for my brother, too? He's gone to choose a spot along the parade route."

Blaine relaxed at the acceptance and said, "Of course! In fact, if you know what your friend Mercedes and her family might like, we can get them something too."

It was obvious that Burt and Carole had decided to play along, for Carole said, "That's very sweet, Blaine. I'd like a small-sized eggnog latte, please."

Burt looked at the menu for a moment. This was not the type of coffee shop he tended to favor, and it was clear that he had no idea what to order. Knowing his father's tastes, Kurt patted his arm and said, "They have regular coffee, if that's what you want, Dad. The peppermint hot chocolate is really good, too, if you want to try something different."

He smiled. "I'll try one of those. What the heck, it's Christmas, right?"

"You got it," Blaine told him happily.

He looked at Kurt who said, "I'll come up and order with you. Makes more sense than you trying to memorize a bunch of orders I already know by heart, and we don't want to keep Finn waiting."

"True," he agreed, slipping his hand into Kurt's gloved one without a thought and making him tingle all over with a rush of warmth. He smiled as the bell jangled again. "She has excellent timing."

Kurt turned his head, waving to Mercedes. He was thrilled that Blaine did not instantly release his other hand. Kurt gave his a squeeze and let go to hug his best friend. "Lookin' good," she whispered in his ear, flicking a finger against the collar of his sweater.

"Thanks," he murmured back. "You have a good eye for color."

"Remember that the next time you start complaining about my fashion taste," she teased, pulling back and allowing Kurt to greet her parents while she did the same to his. The two families had gotten to know each other quite well over the year and a half their children had been best friends.

Wanting to make sure he showed his best manners this time, Kurt drew Blaine into the group and reintroduced him to Mercedes first, causing the two teens to nod and smile at each other, then added, "And Blaine, these are Mercedes' parents, Lorne and Trisha Jones."

"A great pleasure," he said smoothly, shaking hands with them both. "Kurt and I were just about to order some drinks for everyone. Can we get you anything? Call it a small holiday gift."

Pleased and surprised, the Jones family took their cue from Kurt's nod and voiced their choices. Taking a moment to remove his cap and gloves, Kurt left the others to seat themselves at a couple of tables to wait for them while he followed Blaine to the end of the order line, smiling shyly. "This is very nice of you, Blaine. I think you made a very good first impression."

"That's a relief," he laughed. "The look your dad gave me when you guys first walked in reminded of the time I got called into the Principal's office back in the second grade."

"Second grade? Am I detecting a bad-boy behind that gentlemanly exterior?"

"Well, considering that I got in trouble for kicking a little girl who made fun of my hair, probably nothing to get your hopes up about."

Kurt chuckled. "Damn." They broke their repartee to place an order for eight drinks, all of which Blaine paid for without batting an eyelash, then moved to the opposite end of the line to wait. Glancing at his companion's outfit again, Kurt smiled. "I like seeing you out of your Dalton colors for a change. You look really nice. Kind of . . . festive!"

"That's what I was going for," he replied, smiling at Kurt's choice of adjective. "You, however, look gorgeous. That sweater is perfect for you."

Ridiculously pleased with the compliment, he said, "It was my Christmas gift from Finn. He really surprised me. When he insisted that I open it early, I couldn't imagine why, but he wanted me to have something nice to wear for our first . . . parade together."

The awkward last second correction brought a grin to Blaine's handsome face. "Our first date?" he said softly. "Is that what you meant to say?"

"Um," Kurt replied articulately, feeling the color rise in his cheeks again.

Blaine smiled at the uncomfortable answer. "I hope it was, because in spite of the unusually crowded conditions, I'm totally counting this as a date myself."

Pure happiness welled up inside Kurt, spilling over into what he feared must be an entirely goofy looking grin. "Really?"

The other boy nodded, that shy look appearing in his eyes again. "I hope I wasn't presuming too much. When I read your text, I thought maybe you'd decided it was time we stopped being quite so formal with each other." He actually ducked his head in adorable embarrassment. "I've kind of been waiting for that."

"You didn't presume at all," Kurt told him, heart singing as he realized that Finn had been totally on the money. He really needed to quit underestimating his brother's intelligence when it came to reading people. Surreptitiously squeezing Blaine's hand again, he smiled. "I'm glad you meant it. Even if you didn't bring the mistletoe like you promised."

"Oh, but I did," he said, laughing. At Kurt's disbelieving expression, he hitched his thick eyebrows and reached into the inside pocket of his coat. Kurt burst out laughing, causing his family and friends to look up curiously, when Blaine pulled out a bright red headband with a sprig of plastic mistletoe hooked to it by a wire spring, and slipped it over his curls.

Blushing almost as red as Blaine's sweater, Kurt reached inside his own pocket and pulled out a brand new tube of Chap Stick, causing the other boy to laugh in return.

Fortunately for both of them, their drinks began to appear at that moment and they were able to distract themselves by setting the cups in egg-crate holders for easy transportation.

To Kurt's combined amusement and embarrassment, Blaine left the ridiculous accessory in place as they rejoined his family. Burt raised an eyebrow at the decoration but just chuckled good naturedly and steered Kurt to walk at his side, leaving Blaine in the custody of the Jones family, a smiling Carole taking up the space in between.

They found Finn without too much difficulty and introductions were made again. Finn looked a little oddly at Blaine's headband but just shook hands and said, "I'll pass, dude, but thanks anyway," making everybody laugh.

As the parade started, Burt gave Kurt's shoulder a squeeze, then moved back to join his wife, leaving the four teens sandwiched in between the adults, Finn flanking Blaine, and Mercedes flanking Kurt, allowing the two boys to enjoy their very-public first date in peace.

Understanding better than Blaine that their new relationship had been given the sign of approval by his father, Kurt took a chance and looped his arm through the other boy's, pressing against his side. They were well protected from any disapproving eyes that might look their way, assuming anyone would even notice between the dark of night and the distraction of the parade, but he felt too shy to just openly put his arm around Blaine. Much less kiss him!

Blaine did not seem to mind, pressing back and distracting him with delighted commentary on the various parade attractions. The "Snow Queen" and her court floated by in their fluffy blue and white ball gowns, the mayor and his wife beamed at the spectators and threw handfuls of candy canes to the children, and bands tromped by bleating familiar Christmas carols every few minutes.

Kurt laughed and pointed excitedly along with Mercedes and Finn when Sue Sylvester came into sight on the WOHN news float, wearing a bright red tracksuit with a fur-lined hood that had been her Secret-Santa gift from Mr. Schuester – aided by a knowledgeable suggestion from Kurt – and barking insults right and left. The crowd, amusingly, was delighted by her venom, cheering wholeheartedly. The appreciation seemed to thaw Sue just a trifle as she smiled and flashed her trademark 'C' hand signal at them. Kurt whispered a quick explanation to Blaine, who laughed and clapped along with everyone else when Sue's float drove by.

More bands, more floats and a dizzying array of local business owners in charming and tacky holiday costumes trooped past. Kurt loved every moment of it. It had started to snow lightly again as the parade progressed, lending an even more picturesque perfection to the evening. Standing in the crowd of familiar Lima faces, sipping warm mocha, watching the biggest holiday event his home town had to offer, surrounded by people he loved and with his arm now boldly slotted around the waist of a boy he was suddenly free to view as more than a friend, Kurt felt as though he had never been happier in his entire life.

The only thing that could possibly make the night better came at the end of the event, as he was slowly escorting Blaine back to his car, parked on one of the side streets away from the main crowd. Kurt had said goodbye to Mercedes and given his keys to Finn, promising to meet them back at the Navigator in a few minutes. His family had given him a few understanding smiles, Burt unable to resist shooting one dagger-filled glare of warning in Blaine's direction, and moved out of range, leaving the two boys alone.

"I wish you could have stayed longer," Kurt murmured, holding Blaine's hands in both of his. "I wish you didn't have to go at all."

"Me too," he said quietly, "but don't think I'm going to resist the urge to come see you again over the next couple of weeks. And you're more than welcome to return the favor."

Kurt smiled, tingling with pleasure at the reassurance that Blaine wanted to see more of him before they both returned to school. "I will," he promised. Feeling bold, he admitted,"I've been sort of hoping I might get my first New Year's kiss next week."

"That can be arranged. I would love it if you'd do me the honor of seeing in the new year with me and my family, Kurt," he replied formally, his twinkling eyes and that goofy sprig of plastic mistletoe pretty much ruining the seriousness of the moment. He bobbed his head to make the sprig bounce as he asked, "But what about your first Christmas kiss?"

Blaine knew better than anyone how Kurt felt about first kisses, his disappointment and regret over having lost his first one to an unwelcome advance. By wording it this way, he was giving Kurt a chance to start fresh. Smiling tenderly, Kurt pulled his hands free and removed his gloves. He reached into his pocket and deliberately smoothed on a layer of Chap Stick, just to make Blaine smile.

Ghosting his fingertips against the other boy's cold, rosy cheeks, he whispered, "All yours."

They slowly leaned closer, heads tilting at the last moment as their lips met in a sweet, cold, achingly tender press. Blaine sighed into the contact, instinctively sliding his hands inside the warmth of Kurt's coat, which had somehow become unfastened, and cradling his ribs. Kurt pulled back just enough to remove Blaine's ridiculous head gear, tossing it into the snow as he stared for a long moment into the other boy's beautiful hazel eyes, and then pressed forward again as Blaine's lips parted and he answered Kurt's silent question eagerly.

Daring to open his own mouth a little, Kurt pressed soft, loving attention to Blaine's rapidly warming lips, feeling overwhelming happiness sweep over him. It seemed forever and yet just a moment until they were forced to part, both breathing heavily in visible, frozen puffs.

"Wow," Kurt whispered, smiling and dropping another tiny peck onto Blaine's lips. "So that's what a first kiss is supposed to be like."

"No mistletoe required," he replied, a warm, sincere smile shining in his eyes. He kissed Kurt again gently then pulled away. "I think . . . I'd better go home now."

Kurt nodded, knowing it was true but reluctant to end this moment. "Merry Christmas, Blaine."

"Merry Christmas, Kurt."

Kurt waited until Blaine was safely in his car and had driven all the way out of sight down 4th street before leaning down and picking up the discarded novelty item from the snow. Flicking the plastic sprig with his fingertip, he smiled and tucked it inside his coat, knowing the gaudy trinket was going in his hope chest, a souvenir that he would treasure forever.


	10. Chapter 10

Finn was the first to awaken on Christmas morning. Checking his alarm clock, he decided that 6:15am was late enough that nobody would yell at him if he woke them up. Leaping out of bed, he threw his favorite bathrobe – a ratty old faded green item that Kurt kept threatening to burn – on over his pajamas and crossed to the other bed.

Kurt lay curled on his left side, smiling in his sleep. Finn wondered if he was dreaming about Blaine.

After his brother had returned to the car last night, he had not said a word, but his eyes had been starry and he had not been able to stop smiling. Burt had taken over driving duties since the snow had started falling harder and Finn did not feel as comfortable driving on slick dark streets, and Kurt had sat in the back seat next to his stepmother, curling into her welcoming embrace with a happy sigh. It had given Finn a funny kind of ache to see them that way. Not a jealous reaction. More like that weird, awesome feeling that he sometimes got when he knew that he was part of a truly perfect thing. Like glee club at their musical best, or him and Rachel when everything had been good between them. That's what this new family felt like.

Brushing aside the memory, Finn reached out a finger, tickling the end of Kurt's nose. He had learned his lesson about shaking his brother awake. It would work, but Kurt would be in a nasty, snarling mood for hours afterward, which just wasn't cool for Christmas.

Kurt's nose wrinkled and a hand emerged from the covers to brush at it. Finn grinned and did it again. "Ku-uurt," he sang softly. "Wake u-uup!"

The other boy rubbed his nose again, then snorted in a funny pig-like way that made Finn burst out laughing. The noise jerked Kurt the rest of the way awake and his eyes popped open, staring up at Finn with a startled look.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt!" he greeted cheerfully.

He rubbed his eyes and smiled sleepily. "Merry Christmas," he mumbled back. "What time is it?"

"Almost six-thirty. Mom and I always get up early on Christmas and open up our gifts first thing. It's kind of a tradition."

"Oh," he said, sitting up and yawning. "Okay. I'll get dressed."

Finn shook his head. "There won't be anybody but Mom and Burt and us. Just put on your robe," he ordered, tugging him out of bed and turning the half-asleep boy in a circle as he helped him into his cherry red, winter-weight bathrobe. Kurt had chosen to wear the Rudolph pajamas he'd received from Brittany last night and the effect, along with his bare feet and sleep-ruffled hair, made him look about ten years old.

Kurt could not stop yawning as Finn urged him up the stairs. He did not tend to function well until he'd had his first dose of morning caffeine, but he did not complain and that was a good sign.

"Merry Christmas, Mom!" Finn yelled down the hallway when they reached the main floor, seeing light shining from his parents' bedroom. "Merry Christmas, Burt!"

He could hear laughter as they returned the greeting. Burt was the first to emerge, belting a robe over his t-shirt and pajama pants. He clapped Finn on the shoulder and smiled as he mussed his son's disarranged locks and asked, "You awake?"

"Getting there," Kurt mumbled. He gave his father a hug. "Merry Christmas, Dad."

Carole came out a moment later, kissing both boys on the cheek as she hugged them.

"Presents?" Finn asked eagerly.

Disappointing him, Burt said, "Can it wait a few minutes? If we don't get a cup of coffee in this kid, I don't think he's going to make it past the second gift."

Finn glanced at Kurt, who was now leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. He nudged him and Kurt jumped and blurted, "I'm ready." He paused, looking a little confused. "What were we talking about?"

They laughed and Carole gently steered Kurt towards the kitchen. "We'll be right with you, honey. Why don't you pass the packages around and we'll get started on them in a few minutes."

Happy with that compromise, Finn followed Burt over to the Christmas tree, flicking on the tiny multicolored lights as he dropped to his knees and began handing boxes and gift bags up to his stepfather. He could not help the feeling of childlike greed that welled up in him as he took note of the sheer number of packages that had found their way beneath the tree. They were separated into four piles, both teens claiming the majority of the loot, and it was all Finn could do not to dive into his own stack right away.

He fidgeted impatiently. Just how long did it take to brew a pot of coffee, anyhow?

Finally, Kurt and Carole emerged. Each carried two cups in their hands and Kurt was already looking far more alert as he handed one over to Finn. "Half coffee, half hot milk, a tablespoon of hot chocolate powder and a teaspoon of vanilla extract," he said with a smile.

"Poor man's mocha," Burt commented, nodding as he took a sip from the cup Carole handed him. "I used to make these for you on holidays when you were a kid."

Kurt smiled. "I remember."

Finn took a curious sip and said, "Mm! This is good. Thanks, man!"

"You're welcome," he replied, setting his cup down and plunking down cross-legged on the floor next to his present pile. He picked up a package and grinned at their parents. "Can we?"

They nodded and Finn wasted no time diving in. Neither did Kurt. The adults laughed and joined in the fun and for the next half hour the room was filled with laughter, exclamations of delight and thanks, and the sound of tearing paper.

"Um, thanks Kurt," Finn said, opening what appeared to be a shoe box and finding a collection of video games inside, "but I don't have an X-box."

His brother reached over to Finn's gift pile, practically lying on the floor to get the one he wanted, and shoved a large box in blue snowflake paper toward him. "Don't be so sure of that."

With a gasp, Finn ripped into the package, praying that he was not being punked. "Oh, my God! Kurt, you're awesome!" he shouted as he pulled out a brand new X-box 360, complete with Kinect.

Kurt grinned, eyes sparkling with pleasure over his reaction. "One of the other Warbler's helped me find an amazing deal on that. I knew how much you wanted one, especially after your old PlayStation burned out a couple of months ago. Now you won't have to go over to Puck or Mike or Artie's houses every time you want to play a game."

Surprising both of them, tears welled up in Finn's eyes and he scooted across the carpet to throw both long arms around Kurt. He was so happy, he could not speak. The other boy laughed and patted him on the back.

"I guess he likes it," Carole said, smiling tenderly.

Burt had just finished putting batteries and the memory card into a new digital camera that his wife had given him and he wasted no time capturing the moment.

The two teens let go of each other and looked up at the flash. They smiled, though Kurt could not resist complaining about the fact that his father was taking pictures while his hair was a wreck. Burt just laughed and snapped another photo.

At the end of the unwrapping session, the room was filled with enough books, movies, CDs and video games to keep everyone entertained for the next month. Burt had given Carole a topaz pendant and Kurt had supplied her with a chic new outfit that beautifully complimented it, having been aware of his father's purchase. Finn gave her a ladies' watch, something she had needed for a long while. She was thrilled with everything and generously bestowed kisses on all of her men, bringing blushes and smiles to every face.

Burt got new tools from Finn – a gift that Kurt had assured him he could never go wrong with – and a gift certificate to a very nice restaurant from his wife, who knew that in spite of his laid-back ways, Burt loved to dress up and go 'out on the town' every now and then.

"Now Carole will have someplace to wear her pretty new clothes," Burt commented happily as he opened his next gift. "And I'm gonna look pretty snazzy myself!" he added, holding up the simple but classy suit his son had given him.

Kurt got several very generous gift cards to his favorite clothing stores from his dad and Carole, Burt knowing better by now than to even attempt to guess what clothes his choosy son would like best, resulting in a squealing double hug from the delighted teenager. Finn also got some cards, to a cool sporting goods store and his favorite fast food outlets.

"We are _so_ going to the mall next week," Kurt told him, admiring the cards and clutching his own to his chest like a miser with a hoard of gold coins.

For once not frightened of that prospect since it was unlikely that they would be shopping in the same stores, Finn just laughed and said, "Cool by me, bro." Checking out his box of video games, he asked, "Want to help me set up the system downstairs?"

Kurt had a large screen TV in his basement and had been very generous about going halves with Finn, even though it now meant that Finn got the lion's share of usage while Kurt was away at school.

"Sure, let's just clean this up first," he agreed, gathering up discarded wrapping paper and placing his own neatly folded pile into a stack for reuse on some other Christmas. He rolled his eyes at the mass of crumpled, shredded wreckage on Finn's side of the room and went into the kitchen to grab him a garbage bag. Carole and Burt's wrapping was likewise divided into a state of neat versus lost-cause and the boys separated them accordingly while their parents gathered up the gifts and moved them to a safe place.

"What would you boys like for breakfast?" Carole asked with a smile as the room quickly cleared.

Kurt looked up hopefully and said, "Blueberry pancakes?"

Finn nodded. He didn't care about the berries but his mom's pancakes were the best.

"That gets my vote," Burt agreed, slipping his arms around Carole's waist and kissing her on the neck. Their sons rolled their eyes at the affectionate gesture, smiling anyway.

Carole laughed. "Sounds like we have a majority agreement. All righty, then. You boys go ahead and get your game set up. I'll call you up when the food is ready."

The game system was more complicated than it looked on first inspection, but between the two of them they managed to get everything hooked up and ready to go. Breakfast interrupted before they could choose a game but, being ravenous teenagers, neither boy minded. They ate heartily, then cleaned up and dressed for the day.

Phone calls started coming in just as breakfast ended and Kurt forgot all about video games in the interest of chatting with his friends, including a quickly turned private call with Blaine, and trading notes on what everybody had received for gifts.

Finn sighed, looking longingly at his waiting X-Box. He wanted to play, bad, but he really wanted somebody to join him and it did not look like his brother was planning to be available anytime soon. Even Puck wouldn't be available until mid-day. He did not celebrate Christmas, of course, but he was doing some kind of family thing anyway.

Upstairs, the doorbell rang and Finn happily yelled, "I'll get it!"

He opened the door and fell back a step in surprise. It was Rachel Berry. She smiled tentatively, holding out a brightly wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, Finn. I hope you don't mind me dropping by but I have a gift for you and it seemed a shame not to give it to you."

"Um," he said awkwardly. "Thanks. I . . . I didn't get you anything. Sorry."

"Oh, that's all right," she said instantly. "I mean, I don't actually celebrate Christmas. In fact, I don't usually give Christmas presents, but . . ."

Her words fell away and she looked so tiny and hopeful and sad, standing there on the porch in her little cape jacket and red beret, twisting her hands nervously in front of her, that Finn found himself saying, "You want to come in? My mom just put out a bunch of cookies and stuff. They're probably not kosher but they taste really good."

She beamed and Finn could not help smiling a little as he led her inside. Accepting a cookie, in spite of its non-kosher properties, she nibbled it politely as she greeted Finn's somewhat surprised looking mother and wished her a happy holiday.

"Aren't you going to open it?" she asked quietly once they were alone in the living room.

Remembering the package in his hand, Finn ripped off the paper. It was a booklet, one of those little hand made coupon books like kids sometimes gave their parents when they had no money for real gifts. Instead of chores and such, though, these were promises. There was a page for one private ballad performed with all her heart. A page for a Glee solo, to be turned over to the recipient of his choice with her compliments. A coupon for one public apology, at the time and place of his choosing. Another for an unnamed favor, to be claimed at any time.

There were almost two dozen gift coupons in the booklet and Finn felt himself choking up a little as he read it. None of the coupons were for super-personal couple things, just a lot of songs and several unusually selfless and sincere acts of penance and friendship.

What Rachel had done to him was lousy but he had missed seeing her smile. He had missed spending time with her. Finn was not quite ready to go back to the days of creepy kitty-couple calendars and other high-maintenance girlfriend/boyfriend stuff, but with Kurt's words from yesterday about bad choices and mistakes ringing in his ears, forgiveness suddenly did not seem so impossible.

"Thanks, Rachel," he said softly, smiling at her. She perked up and looked like she was going to cry from happiness when he leaned over and gave her a hug, clinging to him for a moment when he tried to break it off quickly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Finn," Kurt's voice called out suddenly as he came up the stairs. "I got wrapped up in talking to Mercedes and lost track of the . . . oh, hi, Rachel. I didn't know you were here."

She got up and walked over to him, giving Kurt a long hug as well. "Merry Christmas, Kurt," she said, sniffling a little then laughing at the puzzled look on his face.

"Yes, um, same to you." He looked uncertain. "Am I interrupting something?"

Finn grinned at him, glad for his timely interruption. If he and Rachel were going to start back on the road to reconciliation as just friends, it would be nice to have somebody in the middle and whether he knew it or not, Kurt had just volunteered. "Kurt bought me an X-Box for Christmas," he told Rachel. "We were just about to go try it out. I got Rock Band and Karaoke Revolution, along with a bunch of other games. You want to join us?"

Rachel looked like he had just offered her the moon. "If it's okay with both of you guys."

She looked at Kurt, who narrowed his eyes at Finn but seemed to get the message he was trying to convey with the pleading look he shot back. "Sure," he said slowly. "That sounds like . . . fun?"

Finn nodded enthusiastically. "Cool, let's go!"

It took a few minutes to choose a game and little squabbling over who should get to go first once they picked the karaoke game, but soon the three of them were laughing and having a blast hamming their way through the song catalogue. Rachel and Finn were able to relax around each other for the first time in weeks and Kurt smoothly intervened whenever they veered toward a danger zone, usually by distracting Rachel with a separate argument.

By the time Rachel left things were so much better between them that Finn could not believe it. As he watched her leave, looking like a cute little bird in her brown coat against the freshly fallen snow, Finn sighed. He glanced down when he felt a hand on his shoulder and found Kurt standing next to him, smiling understandingly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I think I am. I think _we_ are. Thanks, man."

The hand squeezed tight. "Least I could do for my big brother."

He laughed. "We're practically the same age."

"Technicalities," he scoffed, smiling playfully.

"I never did have a chance to ask you last night. Did everything work out with you and Blaine?"

Kurt nodded, that dreamy smile instantly drifting over his lips again. "It was amazing. I already got permission from Dad to spend New Year's Eve with Blaine and his parents. They have a big party and I guess about twenty spare guest rooms so it's okay if I stay over."

"So, you'll get that New Year kiss after all," he said, happy for the other boy. Kurt had been unhappy for a long time. It was nice to know that things were turning around for him. "Burt must have really liked Blaine if he's willing to let you spend the night with him."

"Not _with_ him," Kurt corrected, blushing a little, "but yeah, Dad liked him. I think he just figured that it wouldn't make a lot of sense to prohibit me from staying over when Blaine and I go to the same boarding school anyway."

Finn chuckled. He knew full well that Burt Hummel would not have hesitated to lock Kurt in the basement and home-school him if he had decided that Blaine was some dangerous predator out to steal his baby boy's virtue. He knew better than to voice that opinion, however.

"I've had enough video games," Kurt blurted suddenly, staring out at the world of white beyond their front door. "I feel like doing something real. Want to build a snowman?"

Finn's eyes bulged. "Seriously?"

Kurt grinned. "Sure, why not? There's more than enough snow to build a good one and I haven't done anything like that in ages. He can even have my old green and white Gucci scarf. It's ridiculously out of fashion now."

Delighted, Finn moved to grab his coat from the rack next to the door. "I'll get my train conductor cap."

"Please," Kurt scoffed, hurrying into one of his older jackets and a pair of gloves. "He'll totally clash in that combination. I'll let him borrow one of mine. How do you think a snowman would look in a fedora?"

"The black biker cap is cooler. Our snowman should look like he can kick the other snowman's asses."

Kurt's laughter rang through the cold winter air as they went outside and he instantly became diverted from his purpose with the urge to pick up a handful of snow and fling it in Finn's face. Finn bellowed and grabbed a handful of his own, and just like that the battle was on.

They barely noticed that the outside Christmas lights had come on until Burt and Carole suddenly dashed outside and joined the fray. Soon the entire family was screaming and laughing and chucking handfuls of snow at one another.

It was the best Christmas day ever.

THE END


End file.
